In The Dark
by SharlynRose
Summary: 'There's nothing unusual about two dudes holding hands in the woods' Edward loved Emmett, Emmett loved Edward. Emmett was a womaniser in denial, Edward was a closet gay. Witness what happens when they go camping, and the events that unfold AU/AH/OOC SLASH
1. You Can't Hurry Love

**SLASH BACKSLASH ONE-SHOT CONTEST**

**Story Name: In The Dark  
Pen name:**SharlynRose**  
Pairing:**Edward and Emmett**  
Disclaimer:**Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, all characters etc. are hers. The story below is an original piece of writing that belongs to me. No copyright infringement intended.

_A/N: This is a Boy Slash fic – that means boy on boy action, if you don't like it, then please don't read it. For mature readers/over 18s ONLY! No offence is intended. R+R please. This chapter has been replaced by one that was beta'd by Ninmesarra and Lharkcom from Project Team Beta. Thanks guys you rock!_

**To see other entries in the "SLASH BACKSLASH" contest, please visit the C2:****http: / www. Fanfiction .net /c2 /68069/ 3/ 0/ 1/****(remove spaces)**

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**WARNING!**

**OVER 18s ONLY! OVER 18s ONLY! OVER 18s ONLY! OVER 18s ONLY! OVER 18s ONLY!**

**DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!**

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Chapter 1 - You Can't Hurry Love**

**Edward**

Like chalk and cheese.

Yep, that's how I would describe Emmett and myself. I know it's such a cliché, but honestly it's true. We were so different it's unreal. And yet... he was my best friend.

The Cullen's and the Masen's had a long standing friendship. Em's parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen, were friends with my parents, Edward Sr. and Elizabeth Masen, in college and it was that way ever since. They were all doctors, Em's parents were the medical kind and mine were the psychology kind. Really it's like having two sets of parents sometimes. Em and I were only children, but we grew up like brothers. At least, I assumed that's how he saw me.

So, back to the chalk and cheese thing. Emmett was your typical eighteen year old jock - the sporty type, and I was the studious, book smart type. I was going to college, he wasn't. I liked to draw, read, and play piano; he liked to play any kind of sport (trust me he was good at them all), chase girls, and get drunk, with the occasional bit of hiking and camping thrown in. Bizarrely, we remained close friends all those years (not that we could get away from each other even if we tried) even though outwardly we appeared to have nothing in common.

I watched Emmett grow from a chubby kid into a tall, broad, and well-muscled man. The girls went crazy for his dark curly hair, the dimples, and his denim blue eyes. That's the bit that drove me crazy too: the girls. So many times I wished that once, just once he would look at me the way he looked at them. Emmett had been with so many girls, I was surprised there were any left at school for him to date. He must have had to go around twice, I was sure. His favourite girl seemed to be Rosalie Hale though, he'd never had a girlfriend, but I would say she was the closest thing to it. I couldn't understand the attraction; I had never met such a vacuous, uninteresting creature in all my life. She was all big tits, big hair, and probably a big vagina too.

Although I constantly felt intense jealousy toward the girls hanging off Emmett's arm, desperately wishing it was me, I was glad to have him as a friend – it was better than not at all. I remember the first time I realised I was attracted to him; we were fourteen years old, messing around in the pool at his house and he decided to dunk me under the water. As he pushed me down, I came face to face with his crotch. The thin material of his swimming shorts clung to the shape of his dick and balls, the sight of which made me gasp and nearly choke. Coughing as I surfaced, the image of it was imprinted on my eyeballs and made my cock harden at the thought of it. At that moment I had wanted to grab him and grind my dick against his. I made my excuses and left. That night, thrilled by the idea of touching Emmett that way, I had wanked myself to exhaustion. Shortly after that, Emmett hooked up with a girl for the first time and I was heartbroken.

It was ridiculous, but I always rejected any kind of advance from girls, in the hopes that maybe one day Emmett would see me how I saw him. I don't know if he ever noticed my apathy towards girls, he probably just thought I was too wrapped up in my music and studies to care. He would constantly tease me because my head was always stuck in a book. Sometimes he would say my ass had become one with the piano bench.

We remained close friends over those four years, regardless of my intense longing for him. Even when his arm bumped mine, it sent chills down my spine. I don't think he knew how I felt, and I wasn't about to tell him when he was so obviously not into me in that way. Still, I was a little surprised at Emmett's reaction when I told him I had been accepted to Juilliard's Music programme. He looked so hurt and upset.

"I thought you were going to Seattle," he said sadly.

"What difference does it make to you where I go, Em? You're going to be so busy with your new football career anyway."

"I know, I just thought you would always be close to me, dude."

What an odd thing to say. Truth be told, I really wanted to get away from this unrequited love thing, it was driving me insane and I couldn't stand by and watch while Emmett fucked his way through the entire female population of Forks. I just smiled back at him.

"We will always be close friends, Em."

I swear I saw that familiar look of hurt flash into his eyes, but as fast as it was there, it was gone again.

"Edward, we're going hiking and camping one last time, like we did when we were kids," Emmett told me.

And he was telling me, not asking me. It made my cock twitch when he took charge like that. I bit my bottom lip; the thought of being alone with Emmett in the wilderness appealed to me in all sorts of ways you couldn't imagine. I sighed, knowing nothing would ever happen. Emmett took my sigh to be one of declination.

"Please Ed, for old time's sake?" he implored.

It gave me a little thrill to know that he was obviously going to miss me and wanted to spend some time alone with me. At least that's what I told myself.

"Fine," I said, secretly excited but rolling my eyes (not wanting to appear too eager) then turning my head to hide a small smile.

Emmett all but clapped his hands and jumped up and down with glee, he had such a big grin on his dimpled face. Man, I loved that smile, it took my breath away.

**Emmett**

"Awesome man, it's gonna be just like when we were kids," I said excitedly. _Without the parental supervision, _I added silently. "We are going this weekend."

I looked carefully at Edward's handsome face as he nodded in agreement. I could never tell what he was thinking. The way he bit his bottom lip when I bossed him around was so fucking cute; it made me want to lean in close and bite it for him. I wished my brain would be quiet. Shit, I had been having thoughts like that about Edward for years now. I had been telling him what to do for years as well, for that matter.

When he told me he was going far away for college, my heart fucking shattered. I knew if I let him go he would meet someone and fall in love - and that someone wouldn't be me. I knew he wasn't interested in me, but fuck me, I had to try. When he said 'we will always be close _friends _Em' it was like a dagger through my chest. Friends were all we ever had been, and all we ever would be by the sound of it. Right there and then I decided I would do something about it.

Edward and I had been best friends since we were babies, I mean, shit, we did everything together. I always thought of us as the same, but different. Like, we are both super talented but his talent lay in music and art whereas mine lay in sport of any type. We are both tall and muscular, but to Edward's slim lean muscles are my well defined pumped ones. We both have crazy hair, my thick dark brown curls to Edward's wild bronze coloured mop that sticks up at all angles. I could go on for fucking ever.

Edward gave me my first proper erection. Before that they had just been semi's, but I was rock fucking hard this time. We had been in my pool when I dived at Edward and grabbed him by the hair, pushing him under the water. There was something about pushing my fingers through his thick gorgeous hair and forcing him down in front of me that really turned me on. An image of Edward getting down on his knees in front of me flashed into my head and sent a flush of desire into my groin. I quickly let Edward back up; he had obviously inhaled some water because he was choking. The coughing and choking sounds he was making had a fucking weird effect on me because my brain made me imagine him choking like that because he had my dick in his throat. Shut the fuck up brain. It was too late though, my dick was like a baseball bat at that point. I looked into Edward's gold flecked green eyes, hoping to figure out if he had seen anything. (That was another same-difference we had, funny coloured eyes; his were a leafy forest green with liquid gold flecks, and mine were a denim blue with a darker ring around the outside of the iris). His face was flushed crimson and he mumbled some excuse, got out the pool, and went home.

Shit, I thought he must have seen something and that was why he wanted to leave so quickly. That was the last time we were ever in my pool together. I was so horny and confused right then I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that I needed some kind of release. That's when I saw the girl who lived next door sunbathing in her garden, so I invited her over. She gave me some hand relief, and it was awesome, but only because I pretended her hand was Edward's. I told him all about the girl next door, in an attempt to reassure him I wasn't gay or anything. It seemed to have worked. Anyway, from that point on, I just went through girl after girl, not sticking with any of them too long in case they noticed my dick wasn't as hard as it could be and my mind was always elsewhere. I kept going back to one girl though, Rosalie, but only because she had these amazing fucking tits that I liked to rub my dick between and pretend they were Edward's ass cheeks. Also the girl was so dumb, you could practically hear the wind whistling through her ears.

It was the only way to distract myself from wanting Edward so badly. The tiniest brush of his foot or elbow against mine sent a deep heat soaring into my dick and made me want to touch him more. Fuck my life. Why couldn't I feel that way about Rose, or Tanya, or Jessica?

I just wanted to see if Edward wanted me the same way I wanted him, it couldn't hurt to try – could it? We'd been friends long enough to just forget about it if it didn't work out – right? Shit, I hoped I was doing the right thing.

**Edward**

Friday afternoon finally came around and I hurriedly packed up my things ready for the weekend. The more I thought about it, the more I was looking forward to it. I'd always loved camping with Emmett but we just grew out of it as he started concentrating more on his football and I focused on my piano.

As I chucked the last of my things in my backpack, I noticed my bottle of lube poking out from under my pillow. I stared at it for a few moments, struggling to decide whether to take it or not. Then I got a grip on reality and shook my head at the ridiculous thought.

The sound of Em's truck pulling into my drive had me grabbing my shit and running downstairs like a kid on Christmas morning. It always amused me when he drove to my house, he only lives next door! He usually picked me up so we could ride to school together, but it seemed stupid that he would actually take his truck out of his garage, reverse down his drive and then into mine when I could just as easily walk across and get in his car at his house. He always insisted though, and there's no arguing with Emmett.

I threw my bag in the back and jumped in next to him. He smiled his sexy, dimpled, lopsided grin that always made my heart do a back flip. He looked calm and collected, with his dark curls falling into his eyes. Resisting the urge (as always) to push them back from his face, I rubbed my sweaty palms on my jeans whilst trying to conceal my excitement with a laid back grin.

He stared at me for a long moment, and I started to feel the heat rising in my face.

"Erhhm, what Emmett?" I said nervously.

"Nothing bro, you got all your shit? 'Cos we ain't coming back just because you forgot your hairbrush!"

I blushed even more furiously. _Seriously, how could Emmett not tell that I'm quite obviously gay?_

"That was one time Em and it was only because we had school pictures that day!"

"Sure, whatever!" Emmett guffawed loudly.

We drove until the houses and roads became fewer and fewer, and the trees became thicker and thicker. Emmett's window was open and the breeze was blowing his amazing aroma right my way. To me, he smelled so … manly and sexy, and heavenly. The sunshine through the window made his lightly tanned skin look as if it were shimmering. I wanted to lick it. Everything about him seemed designed to bash me over the head and make me take leave of my senses. He was so intoxicating to me.

As I breathed his smell in deeply I closed my eyes, just enjoying his nearness. Imagining him taking me in his arms and pulling me closer … I opened my eyes as we pulled over, to find Emmett staring at me intensely. My heart contracted and butterflies sprang to life in my stomach making it hard to breathe.

"Hey, we're here," he said softly. "Were you sleeping?"

"No!" I said, a little too quickly, on second thought, maybe it would be better to let him think I was sleeping rather than what I was really doing. I swallowed thickly. "Ummm, yeah guess I was sleeping, sorry."

"No worries." Emmett chuckled as we got out of the truck. "You better perk up Eddie-boy, we got a lot of ground to cover."

"We taking the usual route?" I asked, grabbing my backpack and hating that stupid nickname he loved to taunt me with. I was sure I couldn't remember 'the usual route' but that didn't matter, I trusted Emmett with my life.

"No way Eddie, we are going on an adventure!" Emmett crowed exuberantly.

"An adventure, Emma?" I replied in a mock-soprano, knowing that using the girl version of his name would wind him up.

"Shut the fuck up, douche!" Emmett hollered, attempting to sock me on my arm. I laughed and dodged neatly out the way.

"Too slow, fatty!" I teased, dancing away from him as he lunged for me.

He chased me into the tree line and hauled me backwards into his bear-like arms. I let him hold me for a brief moment before wriggling free of his loose grip and stepping away from him, desperately wishing I could have stayed there forever. He gripped my wrist and jerked me back toward him, pressing my hand on to his toned stomach.

I let out an audible gasp; I had only touched those abs in my wettest, wildest fantasies. I could feel the shape of his hard muscles, and the heat of his body seeping out through his red checked flannel shirt, into my palm. It was a struggle not to lift his shirt so I could stroke his skin. He locked eyes with me, his smouldering, mine wide and slightly panicked.

"I. Am. Not. A. Fatty!" he said slowly, enunciating each word clearly, his voice rich and low.

"Not any more," I said with a nervous laugh, pulling my hand away.

_Crap what was that about? _ I was so confused.

Emmett turned away from me and started stalking his way along the trail. Hurriedly, I began pacing after him.

**Emmett**

_Shit, shit, SHIT! I've fucked it up! _I thought angrily to myself as I continued on the trail. _I shouldn't have done that; I need to ease him into the idea gently. _

My thoughts were generally wild and all over the place, panicking at my impulsiveness. I just got so caught up with our banter; it came naturally, seemed like the right thing to do and I had liked the feel of his hand on me. I was sure my eyes must have been telegraphing my intent to him loud and clear. Guess not.

After a solid forty-five minutes of silent hiking, with Edward panting for all he was worth behind me, I looked up and realised I had no idea where we were; I had been too distracted inside my own head. I stopped to survey the area.

He stood next to me breathless, and I quirked my eyebrow at him. His smile looked relieved.

"Dude you need to drag your ass away from that damn piano once in a while, you're panting like a fucking dog!" I said to him with a grin.

He just smiled his reply at me, and asked "Where are we going then?"

"I hiked up here one time and found the most beautiful meadow Ed, I mean you and your artiness would go bat shit crazy over that scenery." I glanced at him, amused to see he looked … touched.

I knew him well enough to know he wanted to say something like "Thanks for thinking of me" or some emotional bullshit like that - or even tease me for noticing 'the beautiful scenery', so I was surprised when instead all he said was:

"Let's get going, then," and continued walking.

_Well damn_, I thought, _at least sound a little enthusiastic._ I walked on, hoping that somewhere along the way something would start to look familiar. I was a bit out of practice when it came to hiking, but come on, once a hiker always a hiker, right?

Um. Wrong.

_Fuuucccccck, why was I too over-confident to carry a map?_ I chided myself. Nonetheless, I strode on confidently with Edward at my side, pretending like I had a clue.

The only clue that I had in my mind was my next move on Edward. It really was the last thing I should have been thinking about when we were moments away from being hopelessly lost, and when it was my distraction over Edward that had gotten us in that situation in the first place. I was just dying to touch him again, to feel the electricity that sparked between us, and to ease him into the idea of us being together.

Slowly and cautiously, I reached for Edward's left hand, first just snagging his pinkie finger with mine, and when he didn't immediately let go or recoil, I slid my palm into his and laced our fingers.

He abruptly turned to look at me, confusion clouding his beautiful face, and even though my heart felt like it was going to pound its way out of my chest, I just let my mouth relax into my lopsided smile.

**Edward**

I thought I was going to faint, my heart was pounding so hard and my stomach felt so fluttery. It took everything in my power to continue walking alongside Emmett, my hand in his – just as I had imagined a hundred times over – only infinitely better.

My emotions were a mixture of overjoyed excitement, suspicion, and confusion.

_What. The. Fuck._

So, then he just smiles that lopsided smile that sets a deep heat burning low inside of me. No explanation. Just carries on walking, like there's nothing unusual about two dudes holding hands in the woods.

After taking a few deep breaths, I finally find my voice.

"What's with the bromance?" I said lightly, lifting our joined hands in front of us.

"Just getting in touch with nature, dude," Emmett said, glancing at me sideways from beneath his long dark lashes.

I just shrugged and let our hands fall back between us. I couldn't figure it out, was Emmett making a move on me? Why now? Had he fucked all the girls he could find and was now moving onto guys, starting with me?

After a while, he turned to me with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Edward, I have something to confess."

My heart rate picked up again (if it beat any faster I was going to have a heart attack for real). He turned to face me, holding my left hand in both of his, my slender fingers clasped inside his thicker ones. He lifted my hand slowly to his sensuous lips, never taking his eyes from mine until his lips met with my hand. He lowered his lashes and pressed his mouth to the back of my hand, his soft full lips formed a kiss and then he raised his head to meet my eyes again. I just stared at him, open mouthed, confused and extremely turned on.

"Forgive me?" he said silkily, stroking the back of my hand. I swear I didn't want to wash that hand again. Ever.

"F-for wh-what?" I eventually spluttered out.

He straightened up and slid his arm around my shoulders. Woah this was too much, I felt like I was being emotionally assaulted by this boy or that there was some huge joke that I wasn't privy to. I waited for the punch line.

"We, that is, you and me, are just a tiiiiny bit lost." Em babbled.

Lost? I could tell you something about being lost; Em had lost me a while back when he started getting all affectionate and shit. Before, I had just put it down to his worries about me going to college in New York, but now he was really baffling me.

"Emmett, what the hell?"

"Ed, I'm sorry I thought I could find this meadow again for you and I didn't think to bring a map. Dude, I am SO sorry." Emmett said unhappily. "And it's starting to get too dark now to try and find our way back. You mad? Say you're not mad."

Truth be told, I had so many emotions rolling through me right then I really couldn't say whether I was mad or not. His arm around my shoulders really wasn't helping matters either, I couldn't think clearly.

I stepped away from him, shrugging his arm off and took several deep breaths of the rapidly cooling evening air.

"Let's just find somewhere to camp, genius." I said with exasperation. He smiled but his eyes betrayed his hurt. Feeling bad, I took his hand in mine because he seemed to like it, and together we began looking for somewhere to set up our tent for the night.

We had found ourselves further up the mountain than previously anticipated. Emmett didn't think this would be a problem though and dutifully set up camp whilst I collected firewood.

We ate and chatted for a while in front of the decent sized fire I had managed to get going. It was nice, being alone with Emmett for a change, nobody to bother us or call us away. He didn't try any more funny business with me, either. When I moved my hand to his, he purposely moved his away. If I wasn't confused before, I certainly was now. I could sense a rising discomfort between us, and I supposed Em just wanted to forget his earlier random display of affection.

In fact, he seemed to be avoiding touching me all together. When we decided to go to sleep, he moved his sleeping bag as far away from mine as possible instead of sleeping next to each other in the middle like we had always done. I lay shivering in my sleeping bag, listening to the wind howling around us, wondering if Emmett was on drugs.

**Emmett**

Edward was rejecting my advances. I could see it, I could feel it. The way he shrugged my arm off and he refused to say he wasn't mad at me. Edward was NEVER mad at me, not for long anyway. When he took my hand whilst we looked for a good campsite, it felt like how you would hold the hand of a child, not of someone you were interested in romantically. It felt like pity.

I was obviously making him feel uncomfortable with my unwanted attention, so I just backed off, giving up my half-baked stealth attack plan. I avoided touching him again, in case it made me feel like doing more than just touching, and I put my sleeping bag on the other side of the tent to keep me out of temptations way. Damn, what more could I do? I just lay there listening to his breathing, trying to work out if he was awake, when I heard a little voice muffled by the howl of the wind, coming from his side of the tent.

"Em? You awake?" he said hesitantly.

I almost didn't answer, but then I realised I could hear his teeth chattering.

"What's up?" I replied.

"It's fucking freezing, where the hell did that wind come from?"

"I don't know, I'll ask the weather fairy," I said, rolling my eyes and turning on my side.

Next thing I knew, Edward was right beside me, and I could feel his breath tickle my ear.

"Can we zip the bags together, like when we were kids?" he whispered. "For old time's sake?"

I just nodded. Edward wasted no time fixing up our sleeping bags, and we lay on our backs shoulder to shoulder.

_Like a married couple. _I had to stifle a laugh as that thought flashed through my mind. Edward looked at me questioningly. I couldn't see him very well, just by some of the moonlight that filtered through the tent - but he was still beautiful. The light on his skin made him look like a beautiful marble statue. I could just make out the smooth straight shapes of his nose and cheekbones, his unruly bronze hair catching the light like it was made of diamonds. The way his moist lips were slightly parted enticed me.

"I'm still cold," he complained, inching closer to me.

Reluctantly, I stuck my arm out, inviting him to lay by my side and place his head on my shoulder. I prayed that I could exercise some self control tonight. He slid beside me, fitting right into me as if that space was made for him. _Argh I am going to hell._

"Are you worried about me moving away?" he whispered.

Somehow, talking in the dark makes it easier to say the things you really want, than it is in the day time.

"Yeah," I said tightly. "I'm gonna miss you… a lot."

"Why did you hold my hand when we were walking through the woods?"

"Because…" I hesitated.

"…I wanted to show you I care." I finished finally, skirting around the truth, grateful he only asked about the hand holding and not the kiss on the hand - my pathetic attempt at being seductive. I didn't normally have to persuade anyone, jeez.

"I care about you, too, Emmett. I've cared about you for a long time," he said, his voice husky.

_Oh!_ I thought suddenly, taking in his words._ Has he figured it out? Only one way to find out._

"You know Edward, if you're still cold, the fastest way to warm up is to take off your clothes," I threw that out there, taking a chance that we were finally reading from the same page. Shit, if I had misread the situation (again) I would have to do some fast back tracking.

There was a long pause from Edward, and just as I was about to attempt to cover my mistake up with a joke, he looked up at me, his gaze long and intense; his eyes left mine and dropped to my lips. Gently, I cupped his cheek in my palm and brought his face to mine until my lips hovered just above his. I could almost feel the electricity passing between our lips.

"Emmett," he breathed, his eyes fluttering closed.

With that, I couldn't take it any more. I pressed my lips to his and to my delight he responded eagerly. The soft fullness of his lips made me moan lustily into his mouth. God, I had waited for this for so long – too long. It felt so… so right! Yes, this was what I had been waiting for. My heart was pounding and I slowly placed my hand on Edward's chest, pleased to find that his heart was leaping out of his ribcage too. Finally, I got to bite on that luscious bottom lip.

**Edward**

The moment Emmett kissed me was like all my birthdays and Christmases had come at once. All my wishes and dreams fulfilled. I had longed for this and I couldn't believe it was finally happening.

I tentatively ran my tongue along his bottom lip, taking in the sweet taste of him. He parted his them and I slid my tongue inside his mouth. We kissed each other deeply and thoroughly, biting, licking, and sucking, making up for four years of desire. I loved that he was obviously enjoying it, his moans and gasps were sending little electric shocks up and down my body. He crushed me closer to him, and I could feel his excitement, as I was sure he could feel mine. I reached up and tangled my fingers through his thick silky curls, running my fingers through them and drawing his mouth impossibly closer to mine.

"Oh, Edward, fuuuck," Emmett moaning my name was the single, most hottest thing I had ever heard. The fact that it was me making him feel that way thrilled me to no end.

I could feel myself hardening and straining against my jeans. I thrust my hips involuntarily towards Emmett, who pushed himself against me in response. The friction was making us both writhe in pleasure.

"Take your clothes off, I want to see you," Emmett ordered. I felt my balls tighten at his demand. Before I could even begin to start pulling off my t-shirt, Emmett was already attacking my jeans, yanking open the buttons and pulling them down. While I kicked my jeans off, Emmett stripped out of his top and I hurriedly freed him of his jeans, too. I was a little shocked to see he wasn't wearing any boxers as his dick sprung out of his jeans, standing hard and proud. He was truly beautiful; his perfectly sculpted body was godlike.

He kissed me again, this time trailing soft kisses down my neck that sent shivers down my spine. I had no idea how amazing it felt to be kissed like this. He pushed me down and rolled so that he was on top of me. The weight of his body on mine, his skin on mine, felt … amazing, wonderful, and perfect.

I looked up at him in all his moonlit perfection and trailed my fingers across his chest, lightly covered in dark curling hair, brushing my fingers over his hardened nipples. He closed his eyes and his breathing quickened.

He looked down at me, with so much love in his eyes; I was certain that's what it was. He looked like he was drinking me in, taking in every detail as if I might suddenly slip from his grasp.

"Is this okay?" he breathed in my ear.

_Yes! YES! This was more than okay! _I thought elatedly. I reached down and wrapped my fingers around his long, hard length.

"I've wanted this for so long," I breathed back, as I gently pumped my hand back and forth, feeling his dick swell in my palm.

"Me too," he moaned as he pressed himself on me again.

I was glad for the moment that he was experienced, because I had no idea what the fuck I was doing, I was just following what my body told me to do.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, arching myself into him.

"Emmett," I whimpered, "fuck me."

**Emmett**

Oh god, I wanted to so badly, but then I started getting a little worried that I was taking things too far. As far as I was aware, Edward had never been with anyone, girl or boy, ever.

I trailed kisses down his throat and across his chest, pausing to lick each of his nipples, making them stiffen into pink little nubs. I sucked on one of them for a moment. I needed to know what I was dealing with here.

"Have you done this before, Ed?" I asked.

His already flushed cheeks deepened some more. Shyly he said, "No."

"Don't tell me that was your first kiss as well?" I said, horrified I hadn't made the kiss more special for him.

"Yes, and it was amazing," Edward said, looking at me tenderly. "I wouldn't mind a repeat performance, actually."

I kissed him greedily, wanting to seal the taste of his delicious mouth on my tongue forever. I pulled back to look at him. His eyes were hooded and lust-filled and his lips were slightly swollen.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I asked him. I really didn't want him to regret this later. "It will probably hurt."

"Yes," he replied firmly. "I've wanted this since I was fourteen."

I was taken aback. _Fourteen? Shit, had we wasted all these years apart? We need to talk about that later, because I have more pressing issues that need taking in hand right now._

I said nothing. Instead I began slowly kissing my way down his stomach until I reached the softly curling trail of his auburn hair and the v his muscles formed, paving my way down. I ran my tongue along it until I reached the elastic of his boxers. Swiftly I pulled them down and continued my exploration of his body.

Edward groaned and writhed as I pleasured him with my mouth, sighing as I stroked his head with my tongue. I felt like I could swallow him as I took him right to the back of my throat. The taste of him and the sound of his moans were turning me on so much; I could feel pre-cum beading at the top of my dick. As I sucked long and deep I could tell he was getting close. He bucked his hips and pushed his fingers into my hair as he cried out in ecstasy, his hot cum spilling into my mouth, body twitching with the force of his orgasm.

He was panting as I lay down next to him. He reached for my dick and squeezed making desire shoot through me.

"Your turn," he said.

**Edward**

Still shaking with little after shocks, I ran my fingers over Emmett's throbbing erection and squeezed him gently, spilling a little of his pre-cum onto my fingers. His eyes were like saucers as he watched me flick my tongue out to lap it up. Straddling him, I leaned down to kiss and suck on his neck. I pressed my nose to his neck and inhaled his intoxicating scent. He reached up to grab my hips and rocked me against him.

"Lube," he rasped huskily, pointing to his backpack.

I reached over and dragged the backpack over to me, hastily feeling for the lube and spilling most of the contents of the bag in the process. I really didn't care.

My hands were shaking with anticipation as I handed the bottle to Emmett. I slid off him and lay back, trying to breathe, while I watched him squeeze some lube into his palm. He pumped himself with it a few times, making sure he was completely covered. Watching him touch himself was both intimate and erotic; it made me ache for him.

He moved on top of me and brushed his lips over mine before plunging his tongue deep into my mouth. His hand, slick with lube, slipped between us as he gently rubbed his fingers around my hole before slipping them inside. I moaned loudly as he fucked me slowly with his fingers.

Suddenly his fingers were replaced with his tip and he was gently pressing his way slowly inside me. It was a bittersweet moment; it hurt – a lot - but it also felt so good, I didn't want him to stop.

"So fucking tight," he gasped, clutching my ass in his big hands, pulling me onto him.

Emmett's hard length was filling me, making my whole body tremble. He held me close in his arms, making love to me in the dark, kissing my neck, lips, and face over and over, murmuring my name over and over. I gasped his name back to him, wrapping my legs around him, wanting him closer and deeper.

He thrust into me, speeding up his movements as his excitement built. It felt so good, his dick was pressing right on the magic button inside me, the pain had gone and all I could feel was my own pressure building. I pushed my hand down between us and cupped his balls, feeling them tighten at my touch. I stroked and gently squeezed them.

"Mmmm Edward, fuuuuccck," he groaned. "Come with me."

His command and his final hard thrusts had me reaching down to release myself. I pumped myself hard, releasing in hot wet spurts.

"Ohhhhhh Eddie!" Emmett cried at the same time; I could feel his dick pulse and contract as he came inside me. He collapsed on top of me, exhausted but happy.

_Mmm, starting to like that nickname a little more,_ I thought to myself drowsily, holding Emmett in my arms as our heavy pants became the deep heavy breathing of sleep.

**Emmett**

I woke up the following morning to the most beautiful sight: my sleeping Edward, hair even more tousled than normal, perfect in his nakedness and peaches 'n' cream skin. Last night I had really felt the depth of my emotions for Edward, after all these years of trying to suppress them. It was the happiest night of my life.

I chuckled at my stupidity and blindness for wasting my time with those girls. Edward's eyes fluttered open, his golden greens focusing on me. He smiled and stretched sleepily.

I suddenly felt a little bit shy; I didn't know what to say to him. Edward beat me to it, anyway.

"Emmett, I wish I had known that was what you wanted, sooner," he said.

I looked at him dumbfounded.

"Edward, I didn't want just that, I want you; every last bit of you. That was the bonus," I replied, kissing his forehead.

He smiled happily.

"So, you were trying to seduce me yesterday?" he said teasingly.

"Yeah, I was trying. Didn't seem to work right though," I replied. "I've never had to seduce anyone before."

"That's 'cos you confused the fuck outta me first!" he laughed, threading his fingers through mine.

"Have you really wanted me since you were fourteen?" I asked.

He ducked his head shyly. "Yeah."

"That's how long I've wanted you, too," I said softly, tracing patterns on his chest.

"No way?" he said with a frown.

"The pool," I said simply, by way of explanation. Understanding dawned on his face.

"Me too," was all he said, sounding a little distressed.

"Aw well, good things come to those who wait, right?" I said comfortingly, smoothing his hair back from his face. "We have each other now, that's all that matters."

Edward seemed to cheer up after that, and we headed to a nearby river to clean up, draping our clothes over tree branches. We splashed around in the water like children, only this time I was able to slide my arms around his waist and draw him near to me for long lust-inducing kisses.

When we climbed out of the water, he came behind me, sliding his arms around my waist. The way his wet skin felt on mine had heat soaring through me. He rested his chin on my shoulder and pressed himself against my ass. I sighed with desire, wanting to find out how he felt inside me. He kissed my neck, making my head roll back onto his shoulder as he pressed himself against me more insistently.

I reluctantly tore myself away from his embrace.

"Sorry, there's no lube here," I said, undoubtedly looking flushed. "When we get back to the camp, yeah?"

Edward blushed my favourite shade of red and nodded. His hair was so dark when it was wet and flopping into his eyes, he just looked so damn adorable. My heart thudded with the desire to be with him forever, to never be apart again, we had wasted so much time.

**Edward**

Lust had taken hold of me. I couldn't get enough of Emmett. I just wanted to hold him and touch him all the time. I couldn't believe my luck.

As we dressed, Emmett turned to me.

"So, are you going to transfer to Seattle University now?" he asked, grinning lopsidedly.

"Err, what gave you that impression?"

His face fell and he looked perplexed.

"Well, we're together now and well, I just thought…" he trailed off, looking upset.

"Emmett, this is my career we're talking about, it's important." Suddenly, I felt furious as I realised what this was. "Is this why you got me up here? So you could play on my feelings to make me stay? I would never, ever, dream of asking you to give up your career for me!"

"No! Edward, I –" he began, but I interrupted him.

"You're a selfish fucking prick!" I yelled at him. "Fuck off!"

I turned and stomped away back toward the camp site before he could start to argue his point. Like I said before, there was no arguing with Emmett, the only way to win was to shout him down before he could start, and then leave. I knew if I let him start, he wouldn't stop until he had talked me into staying.

I had been all set for a future without Emmett. I'm not saying it was an easy decision, but at the time it was the best thing for me.

_It still is,_ I thought to myself. _I worked fucking hard to get into Juilliard, I couldn't just reject their offer like it was any old college – it's JUILLIARD for fuck sake! _

Fate had kind of decided for me anyway, I hadn't thought it was even remotely likely that I would get into Juilliard, but I knew I deserved my place.

When I got to the camp site, I could see that Emmett hadn't followed me back. I supposed he was sulking. By this time I had calmed down a lot, and I realised how unreasonable and immature I was being – there was no reason why Emmett and I couldn't be together, we could spend every vacation together, and he could come visit me during term time and stay with me at my apartment.

I frowned, unsure how this would work out around his football training and league games. I decided it would work if we wanted it to, and to quit being stupid and just go talk to him.

_Like adults, _I said to myself sternly. _If we are going to have a relationship we need to be able to talk about things._

I began making my way back, but as I neared the river the sound of agonized screams met my ears. I ran as fast as I could the rest of the way, horrified at the sight that greeted me.

Emmett was on the river bank, dark blood staining the ground and the water, his face contorted with pain. Looming over him was the biggest bear I had ever seen.

Wide-eyed and panic stricken, I was frozen as the bear slashed at Emmett over and over, blood staining its paws and dyeing the water red. Emmett was struggling, trying to fight the bear off as it snapped and ripped with its teeth. He grappled with it but its sharp claws were slicing into his flesh as if he were made of butter. The bear was growling and snorting, its eyes were nothing short of crazy.

I raced over to Emmett's side and lunged at the bear trying to distract it by punching at it. The bear roared ferociously, its breath hot on my face. In that instant my eyes locked with Emmett's.

"I love you," were the last words he said to me. The bear's huge paws swiped and connected with my head and I fell to the ground bleeding. The last thing I saw was the bear descending upon Emmett as his blood swirled away in the gushing water. Distantly, I heard the sound of gunfire before everything went black.

* * *

**AFTERMATH**

**

* * *

**

Slowly, I tried to open my eyes. Everything was so … bright. My head was pounding.

_Where the hell am I? _I wondered groggily, trying to open my eyes fully to focus.

"Edward!" a familiar voice cried. She sounded distant and far away, like I was hearing her under water. My brain felt like it was going to explode out of my ears.

"Mom?" I croaked, squinting. I tried to sit up but pain seared through my head. I laid back with a groan.

"Don't try and sit up honey," she said, the worry clear in her voice, I could tell she had been crying. "You're in the hospital darling, do you remember what happened?"

Suddenly, my eyes flew completely open; the fluorescent lights and the sterile whiteness of the hospital room stabbed my eyes.

"Emmett!" I gasped frantically. "Where is Emmett? Is he okay?"

I felt dizzy as my vision went in and out of focus, looking at my parents beside my bed; my dad squeezing my mom's shoulder, as she sat in the chair looking devastated. I saw her look up at my dad and he gave her a curt nod.

"Edward, I'm so sorry," she began sobbing. "Emmett is in a coma."

Upon hearing her words I gave an agonized howl of despair. When I tried to get up again, my dad gently pushed me back down.

"Son, there's nothing you can do for him, so just stay in bed and get better, okay?" he said firmly.

I lay there with my fractured skull, busted lip, and bruised face, head wrapped in thick bandages, in misery and silence. For days I didn't eat, I barely slept, but when I did - images of dying Emmett came to me in my nightmares. I almost hoped I wouldn't heal. I didn't deserve to.

They told me that a hunter, who was camping out nearby, had heard the commotion and come to investigate. It was his rifle I had heard firing before I fell unconscious. He got us air lifted to the hospital. I wished he had left me there to die.

I was so fucking angry with myself! This was my fault! In my head, I replayed the last words I had said to him. I had told him to fuck off. How could I? I had loved him for years and yet I treated him that way. His last words to me were ones of love. I hadn't told him! Why hadn't I fucking told him?

In private moments, when my mom wasn't fussing over me and there were no nurses, I sobbed for all I was worth, nearly hysterical with grief. I felt hollow and empty, trapped in endless despair.

Eventually, they allowed me out of the bed and the first thing I did was demand to see Emmett. I was wheeled to his room and placed beside his bed. His mother was there. Her eyes were red rimmed and watery.

"Auntie Esme," I greeted her, my voice cracking into a sob as I reverted back to what I used to call her as a child. She held me tightly and we wept together.

Emmett was deathly pale, his beautiful curls now hung dull and lank on his forehead. He was so still, only the bleep of the heart monitor told me he was still alive. His wounds were horrific. My poor, beautiful Emmett; he was in casts and bandages from head to toe.

_Live, Emmett. Please, LIVE, _I willed him silently. _Don't leave me!_

Uncle Carlisle came into the room. His grey, ashen face matched Auntie Esme's. The only colour in his face was the redness of his eyes. Grief and guilt washed through me tenfold.

"Edward," Uncle Carlisle said to me gently, "you have to know, his prognosis isn't looking hopeful."

He sounded so defeated.

"NO!" I cried forcefully. "We can't let him die!"

"I don't want to lose him any more than you do, Edward; the staff and I are doing everything we can." Uncle Carlisle's pained expression made my heart feel heavy.

His parents left the room as I laid my head on the pillow next to Emmett's, staring at him, watching him trapped in a world of dreams. I wondered if he could hear me in the dark recesses where his mind had secreted him away. I clutched his pale, unmoving hand in mine.

"I love you too, Emmett," I whispered, tears sliding down my face. "Come back to me."

_A/N: Please read and review! Emmett's life depends on it!_ _There is a potential for expansion if any one is interested._


	2. Finally Woken

_**Disclaimer: **__Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, all characters etc. are hers. The story below is an original piece of writing that belongs to me. No copyright infringement intended and I do not profit from fanfiction. _

_A/N: Sorry it's taken so long, but I hope you will think it was worth the wait. I hope you don't find this too confusing but (without giving too much away) Emmett's POV are just 'snippets' or 'snapshots' if you like, so we are cutting in and out from his experiences. PM me if you have questions, or leave them in your review. Thanks to PTB and my beta's Scorp112 and xochina._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 2 – Finally Woken**

**Emmett**

There was blackness. There was only darkness and pain. The pain gave way to more darkness; the darkness gave way to more pain. I writhed inside and screamed. My body felt as if it was on fire but I couldn't move. The tears wouldn't even flow from my eyes and nobody heard my screams. What was happening to me? The blackness descended again in a swirl of agony. I was so frightened.

**Edward**

Twice, Emmett went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. The medical team rushed in and surrounded him, forcing me out of the way, so they could stabilize him. I felt so helpless, just standing there as my poor Emmett nearly died over and over again in front of my very eyes. I couldn't even cry any more; I was empty. If Emmett died, then I wanted to die too. My wounds were superficial, nothing that wouldn't mend. I had a thick, angry scar on the side of my head that could easily be covered by my hair if I had been vain enough at that moment to care. Emmett, on the other hand, was mutilated. We had no idea if he would even wake up, let alone walk again.

Every day was torturous, watching Auntie Esme fret over her only son and Uncle Carlisle trying to project a brave face by taking the practical route of keeping busy, doing everything he could for his boy. My parents, Elizabeth and Edward Sr., visited him every day, of course. Emmett was their godson and his parents their best friends. It destroyed them too, seeing the people they counted as family in such turmoil and grief.

Guilt consumed me. I prayed and prayed to every god and deity I could think of.

_Just let him be okay.  
_

**Emmett**

I was starting to hear noises, but I couldn't understand what they were. So I stayed in the dark, alone and in pain. Still frightened.

**Edward**

Every day I sat by Emmett's bedside, holding his hand and whispering to him how much I loved him. I didn't know if our parents noticed or took my words as more than just brotherly love, they never said, and either way, I really could not have cared less.

The weeks stretched by and I healed. Emmett stayed asleep, but he was eventually moved to his house when his condition was more stable. His parents had the money and the medical know-how to be able to care for him there. Auntie Esme quit work so that she could care for him full-time, but Uncle Carlisle continued to work at the hospital. His coping mechanism was to stay busy.

September rolled around, and it was time for me to head to New York so that I could attend Juilliard. Just the name of the place reminded me of what a terrible person I had been; throwing a tantrum and leaving Emmett to fend for himself. I wanted to relinquish my place altogether, but my parents convinced me to defer until the following year.

I couldn't bear to leave Emmett's side; I just couldn't leave him again, not when he needed me more than ever.

Some of our friends came to visit, which was nice, I guess. Emmett's room was constantly filled with flowers, stuffed toys, and balloons from his many adoring female fans. It irritated me, the way Jessica Stanley leaned close to him, pressing her bosom provocatively against his arm to whisper god-knows-what in his ear and kiss him on the mouth.

I wanted to shake her and scream: _Those lips belong to me, you whore!_

Instead, I said as venomously as I could manage, "Get your tits off him! As amazing as you think they are, they aren't going to wake him up, you empty-headed moron – he's in a coma! Are you normally this stupid or are you making a special effort today?"

The bitch-whore shot me the dirtiest look she could muster as I unceremoniously kicked her out.

"Whatever, piano-dork," was the brilliant retort Jessica yelled at me as she left.

If that girl's brain was chocolate, it probably wouldn't have filled an M&M.

**Emmett**

"I love you Emmett"

My eyes snapped open. I looked down eagerly into a pair of warm honey colored eyes staring back up at me. I flinched in confusion, not seeing the golden-greens I was expecting. Confusion replaced my fright.

_Who is this? _I wondered, as I took in blonde hair, and a shapely figure. _Rosalie Hale? Where the hell is Edward?_

Rosalie looked better than ever, actually, but I wondered what the hell had happened to her eyes. I could have sworn they were normally blue.

I frowned at her but she just grinned stupidly right back at me. Everything around me was so bright and loud.

"Emmett, welcome to the family!" she said, waving her arm. I suddenly realized that we were not alone. Automatically, I flipped into a defensive position, a low deep growl rumbling in my chest, my hands clawed as if it was second nature to me.

**Edward**

"Edward," Auntie Esme said, sitting down next to me. "Can I talk to you about something?"

She sounded hesitant, as if she were unsure how to talk to me. I turned to her and just nodded and smiled.

"So, you and Emmett..." she trailed off for a moment and I waited patiently for her to continue. "What is he to you?"

Crap. That was a tricky one.

"He's my best friend," I replied truthfully.

"And you love him, don't you?" she pressed, "as more than a best friend."

I didn't know what to say to her. This wonderful woman, who had changed my diapers as often as she had changed Emmett's and had been like a second mother to me, would she hate me? Would she want me to stay away from her son?

I stuttered, lost for words.

Tenderly, she brushed my hair back from my face. "Edward, darling, it's okay. You can say it."

"I'm gay," I blurted. It was the first time I had said it out loud, and it felt both liberating and terrifying. I looked at her, wide-eyed and afraid. "Are you gonna tell my mom?"

"I won't tell her. I don't think I need to," she said, smiling. "Mothers know these things; we pick up on things no matter how subtle you think they are. What I am trying to say is, don't be afraid to be who you are. We won't love you any less."

She smiled at me so sweetly that I couldn't help but hug her like my life depended on it.

"You're not mad?" I asked, hopefully. "You don't mind that I love him in a different way?"

"Of course not, sweetheart. He loves you too," she said with absolute certainty.

My jaw nearly crashed to the ground, I was so surprised.

_How had she known that? _I wondered. _I hadn't even known. Mother's intuition I guess._

She ignored my gaping and said, "I hope you had a chance to let him know."

I broke down in tears as I told her we had realised we felt something stronger than just friendship (obviously leaving out the details) and about the petty argument we had had by the river.

"I never said the words," I sobbed into her shoulder as she stroked my hair soothingly.

"Oh, sweetness, love isn't just about words; it's how you express it," she said comfortingly. "You have so much to learn."

I sincerely hoped I _had _expressed my love to Emmett with my touch and my kisses. I really hoped Auntie Esme was right, and he knew how I felt.

Shortly after, I left the Cullen's beautiful house and went to my own for the first time in days.

I sat on the sofa, snuggled up to my mom with a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket, just like when I was sick as a kid. I told her about Emmett and I, and her reaction shocked me even more than Auntie Esme's had.

She simply said, "Well, Edward, it's about time!"

**Emmett**

So, as if this shit wasn't confusing enough, I was a vampire.

Yeah, seriously, that's what I said.

I was only vaguely aware that I was dreaming or maybe dead, but this shit seemed so real. Rosalie was all over me like a rash on a baby's butt. It was cool I guess. I liked her quite a lot more than I had when I was alive or whatever.

I got major kicks out of hunting. I'd always loved hunting, but it was WAY more fun this way. I didn't have fangs, like in those horror movies, but my teeth were razor sharp and venomous anyway. I put them to good use and made short work of that damn bear that attacked me. Well, quite a few bears actually.

Edward was a moody jerk here; always disappearing off to be alone, or smirking because he had a special little power. Whoop-de-fucking-do. That pussy still loved the piano though.

He held no attraction for me here; Rosalie was all I wanted. I guess I should have been happy, after all, I had wished I could feel that way about a girl. But damn, I had to be a vampire to do it?

**Edward**

I nearly collapsed with laughter when my mom handed me leaflets titled: "Ten Fabulous ways to come out to your Parents" and "It's A-OK to Be Gay!"

She looked at me with a serious expression and said, "Honestly, Edward, I thought I was going to have to slip these under your pillow or something, you kept me waiting so long!"

Her serious expression transformed into a grin as I almost choked on my hot chocolate.

"Mom, it kinda defeats the point if you have to give me the leaflet yourself!" I giggled. It felt good to laugh; I hadn't done it in so long, but my guilt washed over me, quickly sobering me up. My laughter had been near-hysterical, and my mom looked at me curiously when I suddenly stopped.

I cast my eyes downward and sighed.

"Edward-," she began.

"I know mom; if I want to talk then we can go to your office blah, blah, post traumatic stress, blah," I interrupted, rolling my eyes. "I don't need psychotherapy; I need Emmett to be okay!"

My eyes welled up and a huge lump wedged itself in my throat.

My mom wrapped her arms around me and kissed the top of my head.

"I can't promise that he will be okay, darling, but I can promise you that anytime you need to talk, I will be here to listen, just as your mom, nothing else," she said, resting her chin on top of my head.

We sat quietly for a few moments, until the sound of the telephone ringing interrupted the silence. My mom jumped up to answer it in the kitchen.

"Hello?" she said. "Hi Esme … oh my gosh. Calm down; I can't understand you … okay, okay, hold on. We will be right over."

She came back into the living room and said flatly, "We need to go next door, right now."

I stood up abruptly, panic swelling inside me.

"Is it Emmett?" I gasped, feeling as if I might pass out because I couldn't breathe.

**Emmett**

Everything was fading away. One minute I was talking to Rosalie, and the next I couldn't see or hear her properly. It sounded like she was talking to me through a wall and looked like I was seeing her through a frosted glass window.

I felt sick and dizzy as once more, everything went black.

But this time, the pain didn't return.

**Edward**

We raced next door, and I was extremely alarmed to see that Uncle Carlisle must have come home with several other doctors in tow.

I pushed my way into the downstairs reception room that had been converted into Emmett's bedroom, fearing the worst.

Instead, the sight that greeted me was one of pure joy. Auntie Esme and Uncle Carlisle were standing beside Emmett, each holding one of his hands and each smiling with happiness for the first time in weeks.

My father stepped in behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. He must have rushed home as soon as he heard too.

I exhaled, unaware that I had even been holding my breath, and it felt as though my heart started beating again. I couldn't believe it - I didn't dare to believe it, at least not until I saw for myself.

Emmett's eyes flickered open and immediately found mine. I collapsed onto my knees with relief, tears streaming down my face.

"He's going to be okay. He's a bit disorientated and we need to make sure there are no signs of any brain damage," Uncle Carlisle beamed. "He can't speak just yet, but he can blink twice for yes and once for no."

The doctors buzzed around for a while longer, performing tests so they could make sure he had everything he needed. I was in the way again, so I just sat in the living room until they left.

Uncle Carlisle joined me after the doctors left and sat opposite to me, smiling.

"When can I speak to him?" I asked eagerly.

"It will still be a little while yet, I'm afraid, but things are looking promising," he replied.

My face fell. "Oh, but I thought he was awake now?" I said, confused.

"He won't regain full consciousness immediately son. At the moment, he is only awake for a few minutes at a time, but gradually, he will wake fully," he explained. "It may take, days, weeks or even months, but this is progress," he reassured me.

"Can I see him, though?"

"Of course you can. Esme and your parents are in there with him now," Uncle Carlisle said. "Oh, and Esme told me about your little chat earlier today."

"Yeah?" I said, nervously.

"Well, I don't know," he said, scratching his head. "Should I be asking you what your intentions are towards my son?"

I laughed and he grinned back at me, eyes twinkling.

"Whatever makes you both happy Edward," he said.

I left Uncle Carlisle in the living room where he slumped in the chair, looking exhausted, but far happier than I had seen him a long time.

My dad passed me in the hall as I headed back to Emmett's room. He clapped me on the shoulder and smiled broadly as he went to join Uncle Carlisle in the living room for celebratory drink.

When I entered Emmett's room, my mom and Auntie Esme were fussing over him, fixing his blankets and pillows. They shared a knowing look as I approached, and both stepped forward to kiss me on the cheek.

It was wonderful to see Auntie Esme smiling again. She was normally such a happy and caring woman, but this had almost destroyed her. She left, arm-in-arm, with my mother to join their husbands.

I stared at Emmett for a long while, just taking him in and thanking God he was going to be okay. A little color had even returned to his cheeks. Gently, I kissed each cheek, carefully avoiding the long row of stitches that curved from his left temple to his jaw.

I crawled onto his bed, careful not to jostle him, just wanting to be close to him for a little while. I didn't intend to, but I promptly fell asleep. It was as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and I could finally rest.

# # #

Over the next few days, Emmett drifted in and out of consciousness, gradually managing to stay awake for longer periods of time. He grew tired very quickly and was only able to say a few words at a time.

As I bent to kiss him softly on his lips as he slept, his eyes fluttered open. I smiled warmly and reassuringly at him. Emmett frowned back at me, and my heart sank. Was he angry with me?

"What are you doing Edward?" he mumbled, almost incoherently. In fact, it actually sounded a lot more like, "Whaa doin' Ewarr?"

When I didn't say anything, he said, "Where's Rosalie? I want my Rose."

For the life of me, I could not understand why he had woken up wanting to see Rosalie. The stupid bimbo hadn't even stopped by to see him in all the time he had been in his coma.

Emmett's eyes were growing heavy, but I could see he was fighting it, trying to stay awake.

"Shh, go back to sleep, love, it's okay, I'll be right here when you wake up," I said soothingly.

"I don't want you, I want Rose," he mumbled, sounding like a child. That hurt. A lot.

He kept repeating it until I gave in.

"Fine," I said stiffly, "I'll go get Rosalie."

So, I phoned the whore and told her to get her skinny ass over here. She flounced in twenty-minutes later like she owned the place, her big hair taking up most of the space in the room.

It sickened me to watch her fawn over him, just like before. I didn't understand what was going on; my only guess was that he didn't want to be with me any more.

The thought hit me like bullet in the eye. My ever-present guilt over what had happened to Emmett worsened. I shouldn't have been surprised that he wanted no more to do with me; after all it was my fault.

I turned to leave, tears starting to pool in my eyes. I don't think they even noticed I had left.

**Emmett**

I came out of the terrible blackness to find myself surrounded by my family. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I did not dream.

When I woke, I became conscious enough to understand that I was badly injured. I couldn't remember why or how. I didn't think vampires could be hurt by anything other than fire and being torn apart. So why was I in these casts and bandages?

Edward was constantly there. Nearly every time I woke up, he was present.

It bothered me, the way he kept kissing me and holding my hands. What was his problem? He knew Rosalie was my girl. Why wasn't he with his little human, Bella? They were normally inseparable.

So eventually, when I felt strong enough, I asked for Rosalie. I hadn't seen her yet, but maybe she had come while I was sleeping?

I had so many questions. It was so frustrating not being able to just speak clearly and say what I needed to.

When Rosalie came in, she looked different. My Rose was graceful and well-dressed. This impostor looked, well…trashy, to be honest.

"Why are your eyes blue?" I managed to say, eventually. She just looked at me and giggled nervously.

Carlisle had just walked into the room, and she turned to him and said, "Is he a bit crazy now, you know, what with being beaten up by a bear and all?"

I just stared at her. What the hell was she on about? She was the one who saved me from the bear and turned me into a vampire in the first place.

"He's just a little confused at the moment, it will take a while for him to be back to his usual self," Carlisle said, ever the gentle doctor.

"Well, how soon can he have plastic surgery on that ugly old scar? I'm sorry, but my boyfriend can't be looking like a pirate," Rosalie prattled.

Carlisle looked at her with disgust. "He's not your boyfriend, you silly little girl! Now GET OUT!"

I had never heard him raise his voice before, so it came as a shock when he practically man-handled her out of the room.

This exhausted me and I fell back to sleep.

After that, I didn't have any other visitors for days, only Esme and, Carlisle, and two other people I didn't recognise, although one looked an awful lot like Edward. Edward didn't come by either.

Rosalie came by again; I think she must have sneaked past Carlisle and Esme to get in. I was pleased to see her; I had felt so lonely the last few days without any company. It felt like something was missing.

She sat there, chatting to me for a while about nothing of any consequence, but something still didn't feel right. I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Kiss me," I managed to slur. I could have sworn I saw her wince, and I realised she had hardly made any eye contact with me at all, as if she couldn't bear to look at my face.

She pressed her lips to mine, and I managed to raise my bandaged arm to pull her into the kiss properly. It felt empty, passionless … and wrong. Disappointed, I let my hand fall away from her, and she stepped back, only for me to see Edward standing in the doorway.

Hurt filled his face; I think I could even see tears. I was so confused; why wouldn't somebody tell me what was going on?

He turned to leave. "Wait!" I called out to him.

Edward reluctantly came back, shooting daggers in Rosalie's direction. She sidled out of the room, and I was oddly glad she had left.

He looked awful; dishevelled and the dark rings under his eyes suggested he hadn't been sleeping. My heart thumped strangely at the sight of him looking so unkempt and unhappy.

"What's wrong with me?" I whimpered to him.

**Edward**

Walking in on Emmett kissing Rosalie made me feel like shit. I had come by to try to talk to him, to see if he would think about forgiving me. I turned to leave, figuring he had made his decision already; my heart soared when he asked me to stay.

The look in his eyes when he asked me what was wrong with him was one of confusion laced with fear.

So, I gently took his hand and began to explain.

"Em, we were camping in the woods and you were attacked by a bear. You were in a coma."

He looked at me incredulously.

"No! Rosalie saved me!"

"Em, love, Rosalie wasn't there," I said patiently.

"She was! She turned me!" he insisted.

"Love, you're wearing yourself out. Just listen to me, you've been in a coma; and you're still badly injured."

He looked down at himself, taking in the sight of his legs and right arm in casts, and the bandages every where else, and began to sob.

"I was dreaming?" he wept.

"I don't know what you were dreaming Em, but I've missed you!" I said. In an attempt to comfort him, I stroked his cheek gently and pressed my lips to his, his tears wetting my face too.

He pulled back for a moment, uncertain, his eyes searching mine. I gazed back at him steadily. I wasn't going to miss this opportunity again.

"Emmett, I love you. I'm sorry we fought. I shouldn't have left you," I said, my voice deep with regret. I lightly touched my lips to his again, but he didn't respond. I so badly wanted him to forgive me. "Please, Emmett." I brushed his mouth with mine one last time, and this time he closed his eyes and kissed me back. Tentatively at first, even more so than the first time we had kissed, then rapidly he began returning my kisses with his old vigour.

His eyes popped open with surprise when I moaned a little, and he paused momentarily, like he was trying to remember something. He placed one last sweet kiss on my lips and pulled away.

"That's what was missing," he said with a small smile. I had no idea what he meant, but it was so good to see him smile, I didn't care. His dimples were still there, despite the wound that marred his features, and to me, he was still my gorgeous Emmett.

It had taken a long time, but it seemed like he was finally starting to return to his old self again.

"What were you dreaming about, my love?" I asked, curiously.

He looked at me shyly. "It's silly," he said, sheepishly. "We were vampires, and I was in love with Rosalie and you had a human girlfriend."

I just laughed, and smiled at him indulgently. "You're right, that is silly; I don't even like girls, especially not human ones!"

Emmett smiled at my crappy joke, and I started to feel a lot better.

"Do you remember much about what happened to you?" I asked.

"Not really, just bits and pieces." He replied with a big yawn.

"Well, don't worry about it too much; I'm just glad to have you back. All you need to remember is that I love you," I said to him tenderly. He looked up at me, and he looked so vulnerable, in a way I had never seen before. It made my heart melt.

"It didn't feel right with Rosalie. I thought that was what I wanted, but I know now that it's you I want." He smiled.

"Trust me, love, it wouldn't be the first time you made that mistake, but it will hopefully be the last," I replied. "If you will have me, that is," I added tentatively.

"It's you, Edward, only you," he said it with such certainty.

_Thanks for reading, click that button down there and leave me your thoughts!_


	3. Make A Wish

**Disclaimer:**_Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, all characters etc. are hers. The story below is an original piece of writing that belongs to me. No copyright infringement intended and I do not profit from fanfiction._

_A/N: Massive thank you to all who have supported me so far by leaving your reviews and comments! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them and replying to you all, I hope to hear from more of you in the future. In particular, I would like to thank those who have supported me through from chapter 1: __**Heidi34, Lori94, Head Mistress Cullen, Always-Here-Imani, **__**xoxocullenluverxoxo,**_ _**Fliberty, twilightmecrazii, JasperLuver48 **__and__** teambellaedward**__. Everyone who is following my story on alerts, but have not commented yet – don't be shy! Also, thank you to the managers/staff who have added 'In The Dark' to the following communities: __**Dee Bee's To Read List, For Slash Lovers Only, Melinda's Sexy Slash 18+, Non-Canon Love, Slash Backslash 2.0, Slash-a-thon, The United States of Slash, non Edward/Jasper slash C2, Twi Best Slash Fics **__and __**Twilight Fantasies**__ - go check them out and subscribe guys! Aaaand… finally thank you to PTB and my betas: TearyJewelEyes and Multicolouredeyes. Mad love to everyone!_

_Please note: This is the edited, M rated version. For the uncut explicit version please visit: www(dot)sharlynrose(dot)livejournal(dot)com_

**Chapter 3 – Make A Wish**

**Emmett**

"Emmett! How many times do I need to remind you to call me 'Dad'?" Carlisle scolded me lightly as he examined me.

"Sorry!" I replied sheepishly. Everything had been so jumbled when I had woken up; I was finding it hard to adjust to what was reality and what wasn't. "Dad, when can I play football again?" I asked eagerly, managing to speak fairly clearly, only stuttering over a few words.

My dad frowned and sat on the edge of the bed, running his hands through his thick, dark-blond hair that was now greying at the temples. "Emmett, you keep asking me this same question, and I am sorry, but I only have the same answer for you."

My face fell. The answer was – there was no answer. It all depended on my progress during my physiotherapy sessions. I had been trying so freaking hard, I really had, but no matter what my physiotherapist said, my progress seemed agonizingly slow. I closed my eyes and threw my head back against the pillows in frustration.

I felt Edward's cool fingers brush my hair away from my forehead; I opened my eyes to see him smiling tenderly at me.

"Don't worry, love," he said, his voice low and soothing. "We will get through this."

I smiled back at him. Some things were hard to remember, and some things I confused with when I was dreaming, but one thing was for sure – Edward and I belonged together. I was so glad he was there for me - cheering me on when I made small accomplishments in physio, helping me to remember things, patiently waiting while I stuttered over my sentences instead of butting in and finishing them for me.

He had taken everything in his stride, and I loved him for his strength. What I hated though, was his brooding moments when he thought I wasn't looking. His face would cloud over and appear troubled; I could see the stress lines appearing on his previously smooth forehead. His eyes would tear up and he would pull his hair in frustration. I knew the reason why, of course.

It was me.

What you gotta understand about Edward is that he had an artist's soul: extremely sensitive, caring, hard to read and impossibly beautiful. Most of all, he carried guilt around for things that were out of his control. He would torture himself over things that he simply shouldn't blame himself for. He was like that even when we were kids. Once, he opened the refrigerator door at his house, and it came off in his hand. Completely not his fault; I swear his grandparents had owned it before them, the thing was so old. He stressed about it for ages, promising his parents he would pay them back, even though they told him there was no need. He worked hard through the summer doing odd-jobs so he could give them money. Man, that summer was boring. You should have seen his face when they bought him a new bike with the money instead. The guilt-ridden idiot refused to even ride it!

The argument we had the day of my attack was petty and stupid. There was no point in blaming Edward for my getting attacked, besides he carried enough blame around for both of us. All was forgiven in my eyes, but he couldn't forgive himself.

I had come back to the present when Aunt Liz and Uncle Ed showed up. Aunt Liz had brought me some of my favourite homemade cookies, and Uncle Ed had stopped by to talk sports. As I chatted with them both, I had noticed Edward had withdrawn from me slightly; he had taken his hand out of mine and sat on a chair instead of on the bed next to me like normal. It wasn't the first time I had noticed him putting distance between us when his parents were present. At first I had thought nothing of it, assuming he was just giving his parents and me some space to chat, but as it became a regular occurrence, I became more worried.

I glanced at him sideways, frowning slightly, and he just slumped in his chair, smiling weakly back at me.

**Edward**

I got up to leave when my parents did; my mom planted a kiss on Em's forehead and my dad shook his hand. I lightly punched him on the shoulder and began to follow my parents out the room. As soon as my parents had fully exited the room, I dashed back to place a hurried kiss on his lips, the confusion still evident on his face. As usual, the feel of his soft, full lips on mine made me want to give him a whole lot more than just a quick peck. I tore myself away from him and quickly left the room.

I was barely through the front door of my house when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I whipped it out to see that I had a text from Em.

_WTF? _It said.

**What? **I texted back, even though I knew full well "what."

_Any particular reason y u act like a douche wen ur m & d r here?_

**Dnt knw wat ur on about. **

_Stop bein a pussy, u haven't told ur dad yet hav u?_

I closed my phone and went up to my room where I threw myself onto my lovely double bed. I lay back, staring up at the ceiling. Okay, so I hadn't told my dad that I was gay. He would go nuts when he found out he was the last to know, and not only that, I didn't know how he would take the news itself. I wasn't normally scared of my dad, but he sure had a temper on him when something pissed him off. My mom obviously hadn't told him yet, otherwise he would have mentioned it for sure. I guess she thought I would do it when I was ready. It was easy for Emmett to say, he hadn't needed to tell his parents; somehow they had already figured it out and were cool about it. It was weird to think that we'd hidden our feelings from each other for ages, but it hadn't escaped the attention of three out of four of our parents, and yet had completely bypassed my dad. Either that or he chose not to see it.

Deep in thought, fretting over how to tell my dad, I jumped a mile when my phone buzzed again.

_Should I start calling u Edwina? Man up!_

I smiled at his message, not at all minding that he was trying to goad me into a reaction. Actually, Emmett was starting to return to his old self, which was definitely a good thing.

**U tell him then.** I tapped out quickly.

_Maybe I should, since my legs r already fucked up :P… _

**Not funny! OK will tell him dinner, cool?**

_Kool. Want me to cum ova l8r?_

**Plz. Luv u x**

Chewing on my bottom lip nervously, I made my way downstairs.

"Oh, Edward, I was just about to call you. Dinner's ready," my mom said as I entered the kitchen. "Here, take these into the dining room."

I took the bowl of potatoes from her and headed into the dining room, where my dad was already seated. My mom came in, and we began eating at the big oak dinner table.

I eyed my dad cautiously, trying to assess his mood. He seemed all right to me.

"Um, Dad?" I began, nervously clearing my throat, really wishing I didn't have to do this.

"Want more salad?" he asked.

"Uh, no thanks. Actually, I wanted to ask you something," I said quickly, before I could change my mind. "As a psychologist, what do you think about homosexuality?"

My mom's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but luckily my dad's attention was focused on me, so he didn't see. I chewed hard on my bottom lip anxiously.

"Homosexuality? Hmmm, well I guess I would have to say that there's a lot of evidence out there to suggest that it's down to genetic makeup – so they are born that way - but there are also arguments that say that it's caused by the environment that person is exposed to," he said, putting down his fork and thoughtfully rubbing his chin. "I, personally however, think it's downright unnatural and immoral, I can't stand gays. What's the point of them? They can't have children in any normal way, and those kids will probably end up gay too. What makes you ask anyway?"

"Oh, no reason," I mumbled, my head down, staring into my plate. I squirmed in my seat, when I realised my dad was still looking at me.

"Just curious, I guess. Read something about it in the newspaper that's all," I lied, half-heartedly.

My mom was looking extremely concerned and as if she was about to reprimand my dad for his old-fashioned point of view when the doorbell rang. I jumped out of my seat, my appetite gone anyway.

"I'll get it!" I called, as I hurried to the front door. I yanked it open, to see my gorgeous Emmett there in his wheelchair. He smiled my favorite heart-stopping grin, dimples and all, making my heart stutter.

"So, are you Edward or Edwina then?" he asked as I wheeled him into the hallway.

He peered at my pained expression and sighed.

"Edwina then, you're such a bitch," he teased.

"I'm not!" I grumbled. "Mom, Dad! Emmett's here, we're going upstairs!" I shouted down the hall to the dining room.

"OK!" Mom yelled back, too distracted to remind me to finish my meal. Distantly, I could hear them discussing the gay issue I had raised, and I heard my dad angrily slam his fist down on the table, making the plates rattle.

Emmett and I shared a worried glance, and I rushed back to the dining room, leaving him following after me in his chair.

"Everything okay in here?" I asked, trying to keep the rising panic out of my voice. My dad's face was red and his eyebrows were knitted together.

"Yes honey," Mom said, "Your father and I somewhat disagree on the matter of homosexuality. I was just reminding him that he ought to be more open-minded." She narrowed her eyes at him.

Relieved, I nodded. "Sorry, didn't mean to start a debate or anything. I'm going upstairs with Em."

I left the room and helped Emmett stand so he could use his crutches. We began the slow ascent up the stairs, my arm around his waist to steady him. He was so much thinner now than he was before, I probably could have managed to carry him, but the idea alone would have horrified him.

"Thanks, babe," he said when we got to the top, flapping his hand limp-wristed at me, pretending to be camp.

I rolled my eyes and laughed as we entered my room. It was the first time he had been over since he'd woken up from the coma, and it was great that things seemed to be getting back to normal.

He sat on the bed, taking in the familiar sight of my room: the thick, dark carpet; the teal and white curtains that matched the duvet cover on the bed; the various pieces of solid oak furniture, my parents didn't believe in Ikea, which included a bookcase crammed with CDs, books and sheet music. He smiled at me, as I leaned his crutches up against the wall near the bed.

"I remember this," he said happily. "I could picture it before I came in, and I remembered it all perfectly!"

I switched on my iPod dock, for a little background noise. The sounds of beautiful Debussy flowed out. Em grimaced at me, making me chuckle.

"That's awesome you remember it, Em," I said, sitting next to him in the middle of the bed. I squeezed his hand gently. "We need to make some new memories here though."

"We do?" he asked, his denim-blue gaze boring into mine.

"We do," I confirmed. "Like, we haven't done this here before…" I pressed my lips gently to his, loving the warm fullness of them. "…or this…" I caressed the back of his neck as I nibbled on his earlobe.

He sighed, winding his arms around me, pulling me close. "Mmm, what else?"

We lay down together against the plump pillows, on our sides, facing one another. My heart thudded as I inhaled the scent of him, enjoying the feel of the heat coming off his skin. I had missed him so much; we rarely had an opportunity to be by ourselves privately, and we hadn't been intimate since that first time in the woods.

"What else do you want?" I whispered to him. He tried to edge closer to me, but it was difficult for him, so I pressed myself forward, our bodies moulding to each other.

Feeling the contours of his body pressed against mine was sending sparks rioting up and down my spine.

He kissed me hungrily, the light stubble on his chin rubbing roughly against mine. I covered his body with mine, yanking up his t-shirt so I could run my hands over the smooth skin of his chest, pressing my hips into his. He opened his legs so I could get closer, while I planted hundreds of kisses on his neck.

He reached up and twined his fingers through my hair, moaning softly. My body was responding to the sounds of his pleasure, making me feel a little lightheaded with excitement.

He took his hands out of my hair, so he could help me slide out of my t-shirt, which I tossed to the floor. Gazing up at me as I began to remove his, he looked a little shy.

"Okay?" I asked.

"You still want me? Even though I'm so ugly now?" he stuttered, gesturing to himself, his face in particular.

I bit my lip, as I stared down at him, his vulnerability turning me on a little. "I want you more than anything," I said simply, jerking my hips hard into his, making him gasp. "That should be more than enough to prove it."

I kissed his face lightly along his scar, the stitches now removed. "You're beautiful."

"And sexy?" he asked.

"Yes," I murmured, pressing my lips to his neck, feeling the flutter of his pulse beneath his skin.

"And irresistible?"

"Okay." I laughed. "Now you're just fishing for compliments!"

He grinned back at me devilishly, stroking his fingertips over my abs, making my stomach tug and tighten in the most pleasurable way. His hands shook with anticipation as he began to unbutton my khakis.

He had just gotten the button undone, when my dad burst into the room.

"Edward, I've been calling you, you need to turn that music d –" he began, freezing at the scene before him. His face slipped from one of shock, into a mask of cold fury.

_Fuck._

I scrambled off Emmett, snatching up our t-shirts off the floor, tossing Em his and pulling mine on quickly. I was only topless, but I felt practically naked under the furious gaze of my father.

"Dad, I –"

"What the fuck do you think you are doing? IN MY HOUSE!" he roared, cutting me off.

"We weren't doing anything!" I stuttered, my heart pounding.

"Uncle Ed, please, let us explain –" Em began, before my dad interrupted him.

"I don't see how there is anything to explain. It's quite clear!" he yelled, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I'm sorry!" I croaked, a lump forming in my throat.

"You're fucking disgusting! Get out of my house, I can't stand to look at you!" he snarled, grabbing my backpack and flinging it at me.

"Hey, don't be like that!" Em argued, trying to stand up.

"You can get out too; I never want to see either of you again!" he snapped, his voice dangerously low and filled with hate. With that, he stomped out of my room, slamming the door behind him.

**Emmett**

I turned to Edward, my eyes wide with shock. I knew Edward Sr. had a temper, but I had no idea he would react this badly. I had totally lost all respect for him.

I pulled Edward to me, his body shaking against mine as silent tears streamed down his face. We could hear the sounds of his parents having a full-blown argument downstairs; my Aunt Liz was crying.

"Don't worry," I said, pressing my lips to his hair. "Come stay at my house, my parents won't mind."

Edward just nodded, probably too shocked to say anything. Silently, we began packing some clothes and other essentials into his bag.

"He'll get over it, Ed," I said comfortingly, breaking the silence. "It's just the shock making him crazy."

"I tried to tell him over dinner, and he was coming out with such bigoted stuff, I just couldn't do it," he mumbled sadly. "I never knew he had so much hate in him."

"The rest of our parents accept us for who we are, and he will have to, as well," I assured him, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He nodded, almost as if he didn't really believe it.

Aunt Liz peered around the door; face streaked with tears and her long auburn hair was dishevelled. She sniffed loudly as she rushed to hug Edward.

"Mom, I'm sorry I made you and Dad argue," Edward said, his voice cracking a little.

"Don't worry about it, baby; we would have disagreed about it eventually anyway. I love your father, but I really cannot stand his ignorance," she said, smiling bravely, more tears threatening to spill over. She glanced at the bag in Edward's hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked, confused.

"Dad told me to get out, said I'm not welcome here, neither is Emmett," Edward told her, the hurt expression on his face making my heart ache. I took his hand and squeezed it.

"It's okay, Aunt Liz. I said he can stay at mine," I reassured her.

"No!" she cried, forcefully, "Edward, baby, you don't have to go anywhere. Don't listen to your dad, he will calm down, I promise!"

"It's for the best, Mom." Edward sighed. "At least until he calms down, otherwise I think he might want to punch my lights out every time he sees me."

"No, he won't! I won't let him!" she said, the panic rising in her voice. "Please, don't go!"

She tugged frantically on his arm, before he pulled away from her and headed toward the door. I grabbed my crutches and slowly followed after him.

Edward grabbed my arm to steady me as he helped me down the stairs and into my wheelchair. I knew this was agonizing for him, wanting to leave as quickly as possible, but I was slowing him down. His patience amazed me. I grabbed his bag and placed it on my knees, so he could wheel me out. He smiled at me bravely, grabbed the handles and began pushing me toward the door.

As we were leaving, we could hear his parents shouting in the living room.

"It's disgusting and wrong, Elizabeth," Edward Sr. bellowed. "We should not be encouraging that kind of behaviour, especially not in our house! Not our son!"

"You would kick out your only child, just because you don't agree with it?" Aunt Liz cried back. "They aren't doing anything wrong!"

Doors slammed violently and furniture was being pushed over.

"Elizabeth, they can do whatever the hell they want, but not under my roof! As long as Edward insists on… on… doing _that_ with Emmett, or anybody else for that matter, he can just stay away!" he screamed at her. "I don't ever, EVER, want to walk in and be forced to see something like that again!"

Aunt Liz sobbed loudly, and although it hurt Edward to leave her when she was so obviously distressed, he pushed on and we left.

Back at my house, we told my parents what had happened, and they agreed to let Edward stay.

"However, we would prefer it, if you slept in separate rooms," my dad said resolutely.

I looked at him surprised. "But, Dad, we've always shared a room. Hell, we've always shared a bed too!"

"Yes, we know that, but you were little kids then," my mom said firmly. "Things are different now."

I was about to argue, when Edward placed his hand on my shoulder. "It's fine thank you, Uncle Carlisle and Auntie Esme, for taking me in," he said graciously.

"Of course, darling, I'm sure it's only temporary, until your dad calms down," my mom said warmly. "I'll go and make up Emmett's old room upstairs for you."

"Your dad has always been a hot-head; it takes him a little while to get used to change he can't control." My dad chuckled. "Esme and I will speak to him."

"Thank you," Edward said.

My dad headed upstairs to help out my mom, and Edward and I sat together on the plush white sofas in the living room. He leaned his head against my shoulder, sighing loudly.

"I'm sorry, love," he said sadly.

"For what?" I asked, confused.

"For adding so much more stress to your life. You have enough to worry about, without me burdening you, too," he whispered miserably.

"Quit being stupid, let me help you out," I chided him. "You give me so much; let me give you something back."

He smiled at me, making my stomach flutter. I pressed my lips to his, biting down gently on his bottom lip.

"Em, I love you so much," he moaned quietly. "Your heart is so big; your capacity to forgive is amazing."

"There's nothing to forgive," I said, shaking my head. "Anyway, speaking of _big_…" I grabbed his hand, placing it on the front of my jeans, determined to take his mind off things. I grinned, leering at him.

"Shall we go to your room?" he said, his face flushing.

"Yeah, but what do you say we lock the door this time?" I teased.

He poked me playfully in the ribs before helping me up off the sofa.

In my room, we hurriedly stripped naked and got under the covers in my bed. For a long while, we just lay there, exploring and getting to know each other's bodies. The tingle and heat created between us was intense. I couldn't get enough of the taste and feel of him. He loved every part of me, kissing and running his fingers over my healing scars instead of shying away from them. I loved every perfect part of him, leaving no expanse of skin untouched.

As we lay there, becoming extremely aroused by our passionate kisses and caresses, I knew Edward was ready for more. He pressed against me insistently, and I felt the desire building up inside me. I knew he needed me right then, to make him feel loved, but I just couldn't.

Embarrassed, I said, "Not yet, baby, I can't."

His golden-greens searched my eyes questioningly.

Ducking my head with embarrassment, not meeting his eyes, I answered his silent question. "I can't… my legs… they don't work very well yet, and I… want to be able to do it properly."

My face flushed, doubly embarrassed by my stuttering and my inability to give him what he wanted. If he was disappointed, he didn't let on. He grabbed my chin, raising my eyes to meet his.

"Whenever you're ready, Em, no hurry, no pressure," he said, his green eyes locked intensely on mine.

From what I remembered, I'd had a lot of sex in my time and for the first time ever, I was happy to take things slow, which is a weird fucking thing for _me _to say.

Edward made things different, better. After that, we decided we had better call it a night and go to sleep. Edward planted one last lingering kiss on my lips before padding off upstairs to my old bedroom.

I relaxed against my pillows, smiling. Aside from Ed's dad being a bit of a dick, things were going good.

**Edward**

The next day, I repeatedly checked my phone for messages. Nothing. So my dad hadn't calmed down yet then.

My dad was extremely stubborn and a bit of a control freak. He really hated it when anybody was doing things he didn't know about or agree with. That was proved by his fantastic display of understanding the night before. To be honest, I just spent the next day trying to forget about it, keeping busy by taking Emmett to his physiotherapy session and then on to his speech therapy to help the stutter he'd developed due to his head injury. I was grateful that the stutter was the only side effect of his head injury as opposed to anything worse. Besides, I thought it was kinda cute. By late afternoon, he was thoroughly exhausted and needed a nap.

"Thanks for driving Emmett to his therapies today, Edward," Auntie Esme said, throwing her keys on the kitchen counter when she got home from work that evening. "It was a big help," she said gratefully, planting a peck on my cheek.

"No worries, Auntie; it's the least I can do," I replied, smiling at my lovely aunt. "Want me to make a start on dinner?"

"Ooh, you are the perfect nephew and godson." She beamed, pinching my cheek playfully. "Actually, no that's okay; just make something for Emmett and yourself, if that's all right? Carlisle and I are going for dinner with your parents in town."

I glanced at her worriedly. "That a good idea?"

"Of course, darling, everything will be fine, we will smooth things over with your dad and help him come to terms with the situation," she reassured me, before adding: "We thought that maybe neutral territory might be a safe bet though, I'm sure you're familiar with your dad's temper."

I grimaced. "Definitely go for the safe bet," I agreed.

"Okay, sweetie, Carlisle's just come through the door, so I'm going to get ready now."

Forty-minutes later, she and Carlisle were disappearing out the front door, calling their goodbyes as they left. I looked out of the window, glimpsing my parents getting into the car with them. I crossed my fingers, hoping they could talk some sense into my dad.

"Edward!" a sleepy voice called. I headed down to Em's room to find him sitting up in bed. He had gone to sleep wearing just a pair of white cotton boxers and the sight of him sitting there bare-chested, nipples hardening as the cool air hit his warm skin, was causing butterflies to start parading through my stomach. I chewed hard on my bottom lip.

"Hi gorgeous," I said. "Have a nice sleep?"

He nodded at me adorably, his dark curls tumbling wildly into his denim-blue eyes and his dimples deepening.

"Our parents have gone out for dinner, so I have a little surprise for you, if you feel up to it?" I asked.

"Cool, I love surprises, I'll get dressed," he said enthusiastically. "…Unless, my surprise requires no clothing?" he added slyly, hooking his fingers into the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down slightly. I gulped and looked away, fighting temptation.

"Dress warmly. Want me to help you?" I said, in spite of myself thoroughly enjoying his half-nakedness.

"I can do it myself," he said indignantly.

"Okay, Okay," I said, holding my hands up. "Meet me in the kitchen when you're ready."

I had to be careful not to baby him, although I couldn't help myself sometimes; I just had the desire to look after him. I knew it was damaging to his pride, having to rely on me and his parents to help him out with things he wouldn't normally have thought twice about. He was in the coma for a long time, and casts for longer, and as a result he had a lot of muscle wastage. He was a lot thinner than he used to be, and it dented his self-confidence because he'd spent a lot of time playing sports, building up those muscles in the first place. Now, he was nowhere near as active as he used to be, and it killed him that he couldn't play the sport he loved. At least he had strengthened his arms sufficiently enough to be able to use the crutches a little more often; his sense of independence was really important to him. I was proud of his progress so far and his positive attitude.

I waited patiently in the kitchen, pondering all these things, wondering what the future held for us both, when he suddenly appeared in the doorway. His crutches made a "click, click" sound on the linoleum as he made his way toward me. He looked mad-sexy in his dark jeans, boots and thick, gray, cable-knit sweater. He grinned at me sexily, making me want to lick his dimples.

"Where's my surprise then?" he demanded.

"So impatient!" I tutted. I gestured to the wheelchair, placed in front of the back door leading out into the garden.

He looked at me incredulously.

"Oh, for god's sake, play along, will you! I want to blindfold you to make sure it stays a surprise, I know what you're like!" I teased. "Can't very well blindfold you and expect you to trot along with your crutches."

Reluctantly, he lowered himself into the chair and allowed me to gently tie a black silk scarf around his eyes.

I had been very busy in the forty-minutes Auntie Esme and Uncle Carlisle had taken to get ready and leave for their evening out.

I wheeled Em out into the cold-night air; the sky was cloudless and the air was crisp.

"Fuck, it's cold out here!" Em grumbled. I just grinned to myself and said nothing, pushing him on to the end of the large garden, past the fence that separated our properties, and down to where they joined into an open expanse of land, with trees dotted here and there.

"Okay, are you ready?" I asked him.

"Yep!" he replied, excitement tingeing his voice.

I smiled inwardly. _Such a kid._

I untied the silk scarf and watched his delighted reaction as he took in the sight I had laid out before him. I had spread a massive red checked blanket on the ground and scattered it with throw cushions and surrounding it were lots of little glass votive candles, lighting the otherwise dark area. Next to the blanket was a picnic basket filled with as many of Em's favourite foods as I could find.

"Happy first date," I said jokingly. "Do you like it?"

"It's awesome," he replied sincerely. "I've never had a night time picnic before."

"Me neither." I shrugged, helping him down onto the blanket. I grabbed the big afghan I had snagged from the living room and wrapped it around the both of us.

I took two champagne flutes from the basket and laughed at his eyes widening with excitement.

"Champagne?" he exclaimed.

"Uhh… no, actually… I couldn't get any..." I said sheepishly. "Sprite?"

He threw his head back and laughed. "Yeah, I guess that will have to do."

We snuggled there for a while, fingers twined together, as I watched the orange light of the candles flicker and dance across his pale skin.

"This is really cool, Ed." He smiled happily. "Sorry we are only just having our first date now."

"It's all good, Em, don't worry about it," I said, inhaling the apple-scent of his hair. "The best is yet to come, my love."

"There's more?" he said eagerly.

I nodded. "Look up."

He leaned back against me, perfectly warm, cuddled up under the afghan, and looked up.

"Wow!" he gasped, as he gazed into the starry heavens to witness a shower of meteors raining through the inky sky. "Shooting stars!" he exclaimed.

"Make a wish, love," I murmured into his hair, holding him close to me. He squeezed his eyes shut and made his wish. They flew open to meet mine, and I just stared at him, getting lost in his deep blue pools. I lowered my head and brushed my lips delicately against his. He ran his tongue along his bottom lip enticingly; his eyes luring me to him. I covered his mouth with mine and kissed him deeply and thoroughly, until he was gasping for breath.

"I think my wish came true," he whispered, eyes slightly glazed and dreamy.

"Is that what you wished for? Of all the things you could have?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, there was more than one shooting star, I assume I get more than one wish, right?" He laughed, eyes twinkling.

"That's cheating!" I said in mock outrage.

"Just keeping it real," he replied petulantly, poking his tongue out at me. "What did you wish for?"

"A 6'1" hottie with blue eyes and dimples, preferably naked, but I'd settle for topless. Know any?" I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"You wasted your time making that wish. Said 6'1" hottie isn't getting naked out here; it's freezing! Lord knows the damage it would do to the hottie's ego to get naked in the cold!" he huffed.

"Would said 6'1" hottie change his mind if I made my wish inside?" I teased, squeezing him gently around the waist.

"You could try." He grinned, flashing his perfect white teeth and winking at me. "A persuasive argument is all important though."

"What use is a wish if you have to bargain for it?" I complained, beginning to pack away the picnic things and candles.

"Wish for a pony next time," he advised solemnly. "It might be less hassle."

Laughing, I helped him into his chair and wrapped the afghan around him placing the picnic basket on his lap. I began pushing him back toward the house.

Back in the kitchen, he stood close to me, using his crutches to support his weight. I could feel his breath tickle my cheek as he leaned forward and whispered: "So, how about that persuasive argument then?"

He trailed soft kisses down my neck, causing my breath to hitch in my throat and a warm flush begin to creep over my skin.

"I thought I was supposed to be doing the persuading?" I gasped, pulling him closer.

"Do it then," he commanded. As always his bossiness turned my insides to mush.

Firmly and deliberately, I swept my fingers over the front of his jeans, biting my bottom lip as he moaned softly.

"More," he demanded, his eyes burning intensely.

I pushed him back against the counter and fell to my knees before him. Stomach fluttering, I tore his jeans open and pulled them down with his boxers far enough to find him. A little scared that his parents might come home any minute and catch us, I skipped the sweet stuff and went straight for my goal. I took his tip into my mouth and swirled my tongue gently before drawing the length of him all the way in, eliciting a deep moan from Emmett.

I looked up at him; his hands were gripping the edges of the counter top and his head had rolled back in pleasure with his eyes firmly shut. He gasped my name and buried his fingers in my hair. I allowed him to rock me back and forth; his dominance over me was making me painfully aroused, spurred on by his deliciously lusty moans.

I was just getting into a good rhythm and starting to speed up a little when the telephone rang, its shrill ring startling me and making my heart race a little harder.

"Ignore it," Em panted, fingers winding tighter into my hair.

I hummed in agreement and the vibrations made Emmett's body begin to shake. I moaned around him, enjoying his taste. He stiffened, and then relaxed as he let go completely; I could feel the force of his release rocking throughout his body.

I zipped him back up and stood up to face him. He pulled me close to him, resting his head sleepily on my shoulder.

"Love you," he murmured.

"Love me? Or do you love my persuasion technique?" I teased, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Mmm… both." He smiled into my shoulder. "I've been duly persuaded; time to hold up my end of the bargain."

Emmett was humming R. Kelly's 'Sex in the Kitchen' as we left the kitchen and headed toward his bedroom, passing the phone on the way.

"Hey, the message thing is blinking," I noticed, pressing the button.

An unfamiliar voice began speaking. "This is a message for Emmett Cullen. Please could you come to Forks Community Hospital immediately; your parents have been in an accident."

I turned to Emmett, my eyes wide with fear and shock, his face was ashen. His arms began to wobble in his crutches as if he suddenly couldn't support his weight. I rushed to catch him before he collapsed to the ground.

My heart felt frozen as dread washed through me.

_What if the same message is waiting for me on my phone at home?_

I took a deep, shaky breath. "Let's go."

_*Gasp* Oh no! Leave a review and tell me who you think survived, then I'll meet you all at the hospital!_


	4. Goodbyes

**Disclaimer: **_Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, all characters etc. are hers. The story below is an original piece of writing that belongs to me. No copyright infringement intended, and I do not profit from fanfiction._

**_A/N: Hi guys, me again! I know I've had you all hanging in suspense and I am very sorry, but now you will finally get the answer you've been waiting for. Who survived?! Read on to find out :)_**

**Chapter 4 – Goodbyes**

**Edward **

Two weeks had passed since the accident, and I still hadn't managed to get a single word out of Emmett. He simply sat in his chair, staring out of the French doors in the living room, refusing to look at me. In the reflection of the glass, all I could see was his blank expression. It was as if he were a deflated party balloon.

I couldn't convince him to wash or to dress, nor would he eat anything I made him. When I tried to wheel him to the car to take him to physiotherapy, he lashed out at me. The bruise he left on my face was like a neon sign, indicating where the blame lay.

"This is all your fault!" he had screamed at me when we were delivered the devastating news that his parents were in intensive care following the car accident. My parents had escaped with relatively minor injuries. At the time, I figured he didn't really mean it, and I hoped that he would begin to forgive me when his parents eventually recovered.

Only they didn't recover. Both died within minutes of each other, and Emmett was distraught. The hospital security had to be called to escort him from the building because he had exploded into an uncontrollable rage, shoving me to the floor when I tried to calm him down. I had never seen him so full of anger before. I had never seen my laid-back Emmett throw and smash things with a face contorted with black fury. The police had to bring him home that night, but he refused to come into my house, instead choosing to lock himself in his.

That was where he had been ever since. I let myself in the next day with the spare key that was kept at my house, my heart pounding with anxiety, and my mind racing with guilt. I knew that if I had had the guts to speak to my dad man-to-man about the gay situation instead of running and hiding behind my aunt and uncle, leaving them to deal with it, none of this would have happened.

As I entered the living room, I could hear his sobs wracking his entire body.

"Emmett," I said softly. His red-rimmed eyes briefly met mine accusingly before turning back to look out of the window. "Please, come and stay with me at my house, I'll look after you." As I made this promise to him, I placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly.

He just shook his head and continued to stare unseeingly. Reluctantly, I left, returning to the hospital to collect my parents.

**Emmett**

Edward Sr. and Elizabeth stopped by a few days after my parents had died. I gave them a cursory glance as they stood beside me, disgusted by the sight of a few scratches and bruises here and there, a neck brace and a broken arm.

"We're very sorry, Emmett, if there's anything we can do to help…" Edward Sr. began, wringing his hands anxiously.

"Help?" I replied scornfully. "I think you helped enough when you threw your son out and left my parents to pick up the pieces!"

Edward Sr. looked away guiltily. "Son, we just want to help you organize the funeral and offer you somewhere to live."

I looked at him incredulously. "Firstly, I'm not your son; we're not even remotely related. Secondly, I have somewhere to live – I'm staying right here. Thirdly, organizing the funeral is my private business," I said coldly. "Get out."

Elizabeth wept loudly as Edward Sr. took her by the arm and led her out. After they left, the reality of what I needed to do next weighed heavily on me. I just wasn't ready to do this. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my kind, loving and generous parents. A funeral was so final.

I sat there for what seemed like an eternity, just thinking about everything. At about six o'clock, I glanced at the front door, expecting to see my mother coming through the door like she did every day at around that time. I waited and waited, but she didn't come, nor did my dad.

Edward came again the next day, but I couldn't even bring myself to look at him, let alone speak to him. I knew that if I did, I would probably either hit him again or completely break down. Part of me felt like he deserved it when I shoved him in the hospital- reveled in it in fact, and the rest of me just felt nothing. He put his arms around me, trying to comfort me, but I pushed him away. He took the hint and left. I felt empty inside, as empty as the house I was now faced with living in on my own. For the first time in my life, I wished I had brothers and sisters to share the burden with.

As the news spread throughout the community, the phone began ringing constantly, and I had visitor after visitor knocking on my door. I ignored all of them, wishing they would leave me the hell alone.

"When's the funeral?" and, " I'm sorry for your loss," were all people could think of to say to me, along with dumb-ass questions like, "Are you okay?"

When they weren't phoning me to ask me these questions and filling up my voicemail, they were shoving notes through the door or trying to talk to me through the mail slot. In the end, out of frustration, I picked up the phone and called Elizabeth.

"Organize the funeral," I said flatly. "Invite whoever the fuck you want." I slammed the phone down and yanked the cord out of the wall. It was rude, but I didn't give a crap.

**Edward**

It was finally time for the long overdue funeral. I shifted nervously in my uncomfortable black suit, feeling guilty for wishing I could put my jeans on. Once again, I was back at Emmett's house and being ignored by him.

"Emmett, please get dressed and come to the funeral," I begged, falling to my knees in front of him, trying to catch his gaze. He remained stubbornly silent, refusing to look me in the eye. I stood up and with steely determination, I grabbed the handles of his chair and swiftly wheeled him into the downstairs bathroom. I was surprised that he didn't make a fuss.

"Get in the shower, you stink!" I said, hoping that being blunt would stir him into action. I leaned inside the shower cubicle and turned the faucet. "Have a shave too; you look like shit."

I stripped him out of his clothes and all the while, he just stood there listlessly, staring at the floor. I forcefully pushed him into the shower, shutting the door behind him. I left the bathroom, putting his clothes in the washer as I made my way to his closet to dig out his suit. I really hoped it still fit; the last time he'd worn it was at our graduation, which seemed like a million years ago. So much had happened since then. I laid it out on the bed and sat down, waiting for him to come out of the shower.

The minutes ticked by, and when he still hadn't come out, I began to get a little worried. I listened carefully, straining my ears over the sound of the running water. Abruptly, I stood up, thinking I could hear him crying. As I raced back to the bathroom, I cursed myself for not going to check on him sooner.

I found him in the shower, his head resting against the tiles, sobbing as the water beat down on him. In his hand, he was clutching a disposable razor so tightly his knuckles were turning white. Quickly shrugging off my jacket and rolling up my sleeves, I leaned into the shower and gently pried it from his grasp.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, his sad blue eyes met mine, and he just looked at me. He looked at me as if he was seeing me for the very first time. I held my breath as I stared back at him, afraid to look away. His eyes telegraphed his pain to me so clearly, all I wanted to do was pull him into my arms and tell him everything would be okay. I exhaled sharply as he took my hand and tugged me forward, splashing my shirt with water.

**Emmett**

I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. When I looked into their golden-green depths, all I could see was the love and concern Edward had for me. Instantly, I felt bad for how I had been treating him and something stirred inside me. I began to remember how much I truly loved him and how he was always there for me no matter what. I felt a surge of emotion building inside of me, like a dam ready to burst.

"Edward," I said, barely managing a whisper. I felt as if I hadn't spoken in a century. "I need you, Edward." My voice trembled and wavered as I felt the dam beginning to burst. "Please."

When he just stood there, I let go of his hand, realizing it was probably too late for us. I resumed my position in the warm shower, my head resting against the cool tiles. Suddenly, I felt a warm body behind me. I should have known Edward would never give up on me. He held me tightly, and I began to wish we never had to leave this safe, warm cocoon and face all those people later that day. He lovingly washed my skin and hair, whilst I stood there crying and helpless like a baby. When I realized how much I had missed him, I cupped his face in both of my hands and kissed him hard. Edward was taken aback by this sudden outburst of affection. As I kissed him, my grief turned into unexpected desire. Alarmed, Edward took a step back. "Emmett, this isn't the right time –" Ignoring him, I pulled him forward. "I said, I _need_ you, Edward." I looked at him pleadingly.

"You don't know what you need, Emmett. Your emotions are all over the place." He placed his palms on my chest, holding me at arm's length.

"I just want to feel something, Edward. I'm dead inside!" I began sobbing loudly. "I need to feel like there's something worth living for!"

I could see the turmoil and uncertainty on Edward's face, as he struggled to come to a decision. I wrapped my fingers around him and squeezed gently.

"I want this, I _need_ this," I insisted, watching him as he closed his eyes, his wet hair plastered to his forehead. With my other hand, I pushed his hair back so I could see his face properly. "I need you."

He opened his eyes and studied me for a long minute. Gently, he turned me around, and I leaned against the glass wall of the shower. He held me close and littered my neck with kisses.

" Isn't this enough?" I could feel the tickle of his breath as he murmured in my ear. I shook my head, and Edward knew I wouldn't go anywhere until I had gotten what I wanted. He sighed, and I could practically hear his thoughts: _stubborn child_.

I gasped as his hardness pressed into me, entering me for the first time. He held me tightly, and I didn't want it any other way. Finally, I felt like there was still a spark of life inside me, like maybe one day I would start to feel human again. Edward gave me that.

"I love you," I said quietly, when we were done. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Edward said nothing; he simply pressed a kiss into my shoulder before helping me out of the shower.

**Edward**

I wasn't happy about what we had just done. I felt as though I had taken advantage of him. I hadn't wanted the first time I made love to him to be under such stress, when he was so grief-stricken and couldn't possibly know what he wanted. I wanted it to be beautiful, like the first time he made love to me. However, I knew there was no chance in hell that Emmett was going to get out of that shower until I did what he asked of me, such was his stubborn and bossy nature.

His mood lightened a little, and he even managed a small smile as I helped him to dry off. Little did I realize that this was just the beginning of one of his many mood swings.

I grabbed my pile of clothes from the floor, and wheeled him into his bedroom where I had laid his suit out for him. I dressed myself quickly, turning to help Emmett with his clothes. As he fumbled with his cufflinks, I reached forward to do it for him.

"I can do it myself," he said through gritted teeth. Ignoring him, I began buttoning up his shirt instead. "I said I can do it!" he shouted angrily. His face darkened in a way that becoming scarily familiar. I stepped back from him just in time to dodge the punch he threw at me. Unfortunately, I didn't dodge the second one, which landed squarely in my stomach.

Pain blossomed through me, and I couldn't breathe. Gasping, I doubled over as Emmett stood before me, trembling with rage and fists clenched. "Emmett, stop!" I managed to gasp as he took a shaky step toward me. It was as if my words had shaken him out of a trance, and he collapsed back into his chair in shock.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, averting his eyes, looking anywhere but at me. Wincing slightly, I straightened up when I had caught my breath.

"Forget it," I said brusquely, glancing at my watch. "The cars should be here now, it's time to go." Grabbing the handles of his chair, I wheeled him out to the front where we got into one of the shiny black funeral procession cars lined up outside. We sat in silence as the cars slowly made their way to the cemetery. We passed Forks Community Hospital so that colleagues of Auntie Esme and Uncle Carlisle's who had to work, could pay their respects and say silent final goodbyes to the bodies lying in the oak caskets in the funeral cars.

Every seat at the graveside was occupied. The Cullens had been popular people, and it was no surprise why; both were two of the friendliest, kindest people you could ever wish to meet in your life. They didn't have a lot of family though, and it was mostly their friends and colleagues who had shown up to pay their respects.

As the priest began his sermon, I glanced around at the well-wishers; some were crying while others were shooting concerned and sympathetic looks in Emmett's direction. I looked at him slouched next to me, arms folded and face stony like a petulant child. I had expected him to be upset, but I hadn't expected him to look as though he was about to throw a temper tantrum like a three year old.

I nudged him when the priest offered the guests a chance to say a few words, but Emmett just slouched lower in his chair, shaking his head. My dad stood up and began recounting loving memories of his two best friends. As my dad talked, I watched as Em's face slowly became darker with building rage. Knowing I had to distract him before he erupted again, I tentatively reached out and squeezed his hand. Startled, he looked at me with eyes burning with anger, snatching his hand out of mine. He folded his arms tightly against himself and continued to glare at my father.

_Shit, what do I do? _I thought, starting to panic a little, anxious to calm the storm that was brewing inside Emmett. Finally, my dad stopped talking, the priest concluded his sermon, and the bodies were lowered into the ground. We were offered handfuls of dirt to throw inside the graves, but when it came to Emmett's turn to take some, he just frowned and turned his head aside. I could see my mother pursing her lips with suppressed anger at Emmett's childish behavior.

Thankfully, it was time to leave after that, and we got back into the cars to return to my house for the wake. Once again, we rode in silence, Emmett just staring moodily out of the window.

"We can go back once the headstones are put in if you like," I said to Emmett, simply as something to break the silence. My words hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity until eventually he turned to me, eyes big and watery; he said in a small voice, "Yes, please." At that point, my annoyance with him for his childishness evaporated, and my heart lurched painfully. I took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, which he returned with a small, sad smile.

It was odd, seeing my house full of so many people I had never met before. I was so proud of my mother, she had laid out an excellent selection of nibbles for the mourners and was being the perfect hostess, welcoming them into her home and offering drinks. Emmett had stubbornly refused to remain in his wheelchair and was instead trying to use his crutches. That would've been fine, except he had missed so many physiotherapy sessions recently, and I was worried he was going to lose his footing.

I stepped out into the garden, wanting to get away from the all the people filling my house for five minutes. Upon finding several people milling around on the patio, I walked out a little further, down to the wooden gazebo. I sat, lost in thought for a few minutes, until a voice startled me out of my reverie.

"Penny for them," a voice with a Texan accent drawled. Surprised, my head snapped up to find myself staring directly into a pair of luminous topaz brown eyes.

"I…what?" I blinked, trying to clear the confusion this beautiful pair of eyes had caused. He grinned at me, a slow sexy smile that made my stomach flutter. I drank in the rest of him; tall, muscular but lean, with soft honey blond hair that stopped just short of his collar. I must have been gaping because he stuck out his hand and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Jasper."

Slowly, I reached to grip his hand, my eyes never left his, and it was like I had been forced into slow motion. "Edward Masen," I whispered.

**Emmett**

I was pissed. I didn't know where the hell Edward was, and he'd left me with all these god-awful people who wouldn't stop with the 'how are yous' and the 'how are you coping' and the fussing. I glared at everyone until they left me the fuck alone. I didn't want to talk to any of these stupid people; unless they could give me back my parents, I wasn't interested. Struggling with my crutches, I shuffled forward so I could go and look for Edward. Wisely, I was left in peace and nobody made the mistake of trying to help me. I managed to make it out into the hallway before I was gasping with the exertion of trying to make my legs work. Silently I cursed Edward for leaving me; this was his fault. Thankfully, the hallway was quiet; everyone was in the living room or kitchen for now. I sat down heavily on the bottom step of the stairs, grateful to take the weight off my legs. I heard a sound behind me and turned around to see a small, dark-haired girl bounding gracefully down the stairs towards me. I shuffled over to let her pass, but was surprised when she sat down next to me instead. Close up, I could see that actually, she wasn't a girl but just a very petite young woman. She looked kinda familiar for some reason, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.

"Hi!" she said chirpily, grinning at me. Grudgingly, I mumbled back a hello and attempted to stand. Abruptly, she yanked my arm, forcing me to sit back down with a thump.

"What the hell?" I growled at her. She giggled and let go of my arm. "Why so grumpy?" she asked innocently.

"In case you hadn't noticed, my parents are dead." I glared at her, but it did nothing to wipe the silly grin from her face. "What's your problem? Who are you anyway?" I demanded.

"I'm Alice." She paused and looked at me expectantly. "Alice Brandon-Cullen," she added when I looked at her blankly.

"Oh…are we related?" I asked, confused, racking my brain and trying to work out how we could possibly be related when my dad had no siblings and very little family.

"I guess I'm still the dirty little secret huh?" Her face fell for the first time since she had sat down beside me. I stared at her impatiently, starting to become seriously irritated with this elf-like girl.

"You really don't know who I am?" she said, her voice wavering. Slowly I shook my head. Was I meant to know who she was? I'd never seen the girl before in my life. "I really fucking hate you Cullens!" she screamed at me, tears starting to slide down her elfin face. Alarmed, I reached for her to calm her down, but she stood quickly and stepped neatly away from me, heading toward the front door.

"Hey… HEY! Tell me who the hell you are!" I yelled at her as I struggled to get up. By now, we had attracted some attention and guests were poking their heads around doors, trying to see what the yelling was about. Alice paused at the front door, with her hand on the handle. She squared her shoulders and took a breath.

"Your sister."

**_A/N: Massive thank you to PTB and my betas Pain Jane and Lattecoug! If you need a beta for your Twilight/Harry Potter/Hunger Games/Original story, these are your people!_**

**_ I'm looking forward to hearing what you all thought. I always appreciate ANY feedback (so long as it's constructive) and will always reply. So drop me a line :)_**

**_Follow me on Twitter: melola_rose_**


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